Leighton Meester about Michelle Trachtenberg: “Gossip Girl” star comments on tragedy

In February of this year, the news of the sudden death of actress Michelle Trachtenberg (1985-2025) shook the film world. The actress that became known by roles in “Buffy – in the spell of the demons” and as Georgina Sparks in “Gossip Girl” was only 39. Now her former serial colleague Leighton Meester (39) has publicly commented on the tragic loss for the first time.

Found the US actress, who embodied in the Success series Blair Waldorf, emotional words: “It is shocking”, Meester is quoted. “She was a wonderful, talented person and everyone loved her. It is very, very sad for everyone who knew her.”

For Meester, the fact that she and Trachtenberg were the same age was particularly shocking. From 2007 to 2012, the two actresses had together in front of the camera for the popular series “Gossip Girl”.

Trachtenberg was found lifeless in a New York apartment on February 26, 2024. As the New York office of the forensic doctor announced in April, the actress died of complications in connection with diabetes mellitus. The type of death was classified as natural.

Meester is not the only one from the “Gossip Girl” ensemble that has commented on Trachtenberg’s death. Previously, stars such as Penn Badgley, Blake Live, Ed Westwick and Chace Crawford had expressed their dismay.

Badgley, who embodied Dan Humphrey in the series, that Trachtenberg’s death was “really surreal, really sad”. He remembered that she “started laughing incredibly quickly” and described her as “really happy” with a “childish, happy laugh”, although he hadn’t seen her for over ten years.

In the interview with “Flaunt” Meester also emphasized how impressive it was that the series continues to have an impact for years after the end: “Now I can see that the legacy of the show lives on – in some ways even more than then – which is incredible.”