Michelle Trachtenberg dead: Blake Lively honours former Gossip Girl co-star after her sudden death at 39

Blake Lively and Michelle Trachtenberg in 2009. The pair starred in the hit series Gossip Girl together. Photo / Getty Images

Blake Lively has put aside her legal worries to remember her former Gossip Girl co-star, Michelle Trachtenberg.

A heartbroken Lively took to Instagram Stories to share a lengthy tribute about her former co-star, who died suddenly on Wednesday (US time), aged 39.

“This was the first day I met Michelle,” Lively began her post, which featured a photo of them on the set of the teen drama in 2008.

“She was electricity. You knew when she entered a room because the vibration changed. Everything she did, she did 200%.”

Lively played Serena van der Woodsen on the hit series from 2007, with Trachtenberg joining the cast in season two as her nemesis, Georgina Sparks.

Blake Lively has paid tribute to her Gossip Girl co-star Michelle Trachtenberg. Photo / @blakelively

While the pair’s on-screen friendship was icy, Lively admired her co-star off camera.

“She laughed the fullest at someone’s joke, she faced authority head on when she felt something was wrong, she cared deeply about her work, she was proud to be a part of this community and industry as painful as it could be sometimes, she was fiercely loyal to her friends and brave for those she loved, she was big and bold and distinctly herself,” the It Ends With Us star wrote, adding that she remembers Trachtenberg smelling like “yummy, caramel-smelling lip gloss”.

“She didn’t just want to sparkle on camera, she liked creating a nice experience for anyone who was in her orbit, even down to the subtle smell of her lip gloss because she cared about the sweet details,” she continued.

Lively hinted the pair may have lost touch once Gossip Girl wrapped in 2012 after six seasons, but she will always remember the actress as a “kind person, through and through”.

“Time passes. You take for granted that you get the chance to see an old friend. To paraphrase, the real tragedies in life are the ones that blindside you on an idle Tuesday. Hold those you love and have loved dear,” she wrote.

“The world lost a deeply sensitive and good person in Michelle. May her work and her huge heart be remembered by those who were lucky enough to experience her fire.”

Fellow Gossip Girl co-stars Chace Crawford and Ed Westwick also paid tribute to the late star.

Trachtenberg started her career as a child star in hits such as Harriet the Spy.

Crawford, who played Nate Archibald in the series, wrote on Instagram: “Michelle was one of a kind. I remember her coming on set for the first time and just absolutely owning it. She was a force of nature and just so so unapologetically funny and magnetic. Remembering those years with a big smile. Just a terrible loss. Love you.”

Michelle Trachtenberg pictured in 2023. The actress died on Wednesday (US time). Photo / Getty Images

Westwick, who was the infamous Chuck Bass, wrote: “So sad to hear of the passing of @michelletrachtenberg. Sending prayers.”

Trachtenberg was also known for her roles in Harriet the Spy, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Eurotrip and 17 Again with Zac Efron and Matthew Perry.

Sadly, the actress’ last role was on the Gossip Girl reboot, which aired in 2021. She reprised her role as Georgina, who wreaked havoc on the new-generation characters. The revival ran for two seasons before it was cancelled in 2023.

According to several outlets, the actress recently underwent a liver transplant and died of natural causes in her Manhattan apartment.