Michelle Trachtenberg cause of death revealed after 'Gossip Girl' star dies at 39
Michelle Trachtenberg's cause and manner of death have been released.
The Office of Chief Medical Examiner in New York City, where Trachtenberg was found dead early Feb. 26, ruled both the cause and manner of death as undetermined, according to a statement shared Feb. 27 with Paste BN.
Undetermined can mean either that there was inadequate information to assess how a person died or that the information was conflicting, with equal amounts supporting or negating a specific "manner" of death, such as natural or accidental.
Trachtenberg's family previously declined an autopsy, and the medical examiner’s office honored that request, per Feb. 27 reports from CNN and ABC news.
Paste BN reached out to Trachtenberg's rep for comment.
Trachtenberg was found unconscious and unresponsive and in her apartment and was determined dead by EMS officials. The NYPD said at the time that no criminal involvement was suspected and the investigation was ongoing.
On April 16, Office of Chief Medical Examiner released a statement announcing the official cause and manner of her death as complications of diabetes mellitus. The manner was determined to be natural.
Gary Mantoosh, a representative for Trachtenberg, confirmed her death "with great sadness" in a statement to Paste BN on Feb. 26. Mantoosh added, "The family requests privacy for their loss. There are no further details at this time."
Blake Lively, Rosie O'Donnell among the stars who paid tribute
The 39-year-old actress, known for roles in teen television classics like "Gossip Girl" and "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," rose to prominence throughout the 2000s after years of work as a child star.
Trachtenberg's breakout Disney role came with 2005's "Ice Princess," a star-studded coming-of-age film that she led featuring Kim Catrall, Hayden Panettiere and Joan Cusack.
The movie helped elevate her already growing fame, which first kicked off with a recurring role on "Buffy," as the sister of Sarah Michelle Gellar's title character.
Later, she became a fan favorite, playing Georgina Sparks on the CW series "Gossip Girl" opposite Leighton Meester, Blake Lively, Kelly Rutherford, Ed Westwick, Taylor Momsen, Chace Crawford and Penn Badgley.
Reacting to the news of her death, Lively wrote in a story post on Instagram, "She was electricity. You knew when she entered a room because the vibration changed. Everything she did, she did 200%."
"The world lost a deeply sensitive and good person in Michelle," she continued. "May her work and her huge heart be remembered by those who were lucky enough to experience her fire."
Rosie O'Donnell, who co-starred with Trachtenberg in "Harriet the Spy," one of the actress's biggest early successes, told Us Weekly that her death was "heartbreaking."
"I loved her very much. She struggled the last few years. I wish I could have helped," she said.
This story has been updated to include additional information and correct a typo.
Contributing: Jay Stahl, Paste BN