NEWS: Michelle Trachtenberg, 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' and 'Gossip Girl' Actress, Has Passed Away

Variety has reported that Michelle Trachtenberg, the actress best known for her film and television roles including “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Gossip Girl,” has passed away at age 39.

According to police, she was found in her New York City apartment. Her cause of death has not been confirmed.

In addition to her iconic roles, Michelle Trachtenberg was also the star of Disney’s 2005 film, “Ice Princess,” in which she played a teenager who pursues her new-found dream of being a professional figure skater.

Trachtenberg was born in New York on October 11th, 1985, and began acting at 3 years old, appearing in commercials and soon landing her first TV credit on Nickelodeon’s “The Adventures of Pete & Pete.”

Her first starring film role was in the 1996 movie, “Harriet the Spy,” in which she played an aspiring sleuth opposite Rosie O’Donnell.

But, her breakthrough role was playing Dawn Summers in “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” which ran on the WB in the early 2000s. She joined the series in its fifth season as Buffy Summers’ (played by Sarah Michelle Gellar) younger sister and continued on the series until its 2003 end.

Trachtenberg later found success in “Gossip Girl,” which ran from 2007 to 2012, in which she played a “diabolical Manhattan socialite.”