Michelle Trachtenberg’s Final Project Before Her Sudden Death Was Deeply Meaningful: ‘We Were All Just Teary-Eyed’

Before her sudden death, Michelle Trachtenberg was working on a meaningful project that shined a light on mental health. The 39-year-old “Gossip Girl” star was voicing the documentary “Spryal,” which follows a woman named Michelle Cody White struggling with an undiagnosed bipolar disorder while turning to addiction to self-medicate. Trachtenberg had been working on the project since 2021.

“The amount of energy she put into turning into Michelle Cody White, I mean, it was almost eerie how much she became her,” “Spryal” producer Jennifer Hutchins told Us Weekly. ‘I don’t think I’ve ever sat in a room with that amazing of acting where we were all just teary-eyed.”

“She was taking breaks because it had taken her so much,” Hutchins added about Trachtenberg’s emotional narration of White’s diaries and letters. “The stuff she was reading was extremely personal and emotional and raw, and she really took that in.”

In June 2024, “Spryal” premiered at the Dances With Films festival. Trachtenberg had planned on attending a March 2025 screening of “Spryal” in Austin, Texas to help raise money and spread awareness for the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

“We were definitely encouraged to believe that she might participate were she well enough,” Hutchins told Us Weekly. “We had left it off at, you know, it would probably be a last-minute decision sort of thing. It was relayed to me that she was still a giant supporter of the film and would attend any time that she could.”

Michelle Trachtenberg Had A Liver Transplant Prior To Her Death

Trachtenberg died in her New York City apartment on February 26, 2025. According to ABC 7, Trachtenberg “may have been experiencing complications” following a liver transplant she had. undergone in 2024. Trachtenberg’s family decided against an autopsy to determine her cause of death due to religious reasons.

An insider told People that Trachtenberg had been struggling with her health over the past year. “She was really, really sick and open with those in her circle about how much she was struggling,” they said.

Several Of Michele Trachtenberg’s “Gossip Girl” Co-Stars Posted Touching Tributes After Her Death

In 2022 and 2023, Trachtenberg reprised her beloved “Gossip Girl” character Georgina Sparks in HBO’s reboot, which marked her final on-screen appearance.

Blake Lively, who portrayed Serena van der Woodsen in “Gossip Girl” from 2007 to 2012, is just one of Trachtenberg’s many co-stars who honored her memory with a special message. “She was a kind person, through and through,” Lively wrote in a heartfelt Instagram post. “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.”

Fellow “Gossip Girl” co-star Chase Crawford paid tribute to Trachtenberg. “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 ❤️,” Crawford’s Instagram post read.