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Culture October 11, 2025

Sarah Michelle Gellar pays tribute to Michelle Trachtenberg with heartfelt birthday message

WATCH: Actress Michelle Trachtenberg dies at 39

Sarah Michelle Gellar is remembering her late friend and "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" co-star Michelle Trachtenberg on what would have been her 40th birthday.

PHOTO: In this Oct. 12, 2004, file poto, Michelle Trachtenberg and Sarah Michelle Gellar are shown at the premiere of "The Grudge" in Los Angeles.
Lee Celano/WireImage via Getty Images, FILE
In this Oct. 12, 2004, file poto, Michelle Trachtenberg and Sarah Michelle Gellar are shown at the premiere of "The Grudge" in Los Angeles.

On Oct. 11, Gellar posted a photo of the two of them together with the caption, “When you turned 16, it was hard not to still see you as the little girl I met on All My Children. When you turned 21, I had to teach myself to not see you as the little sister anymore,” Gellar wrote. “I can’t imagine what 40 would have been like. This I know… it would be filled with love. Happy birthday @michelletrachtenberg.”

The post was set to Charlie Puth and Wiz Khalifa’s song “See You Again.”

Actress Michelle Trachtenberg dies at 39

Trachtenberg, best known for her roles in "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Gossip Girl," died earlier this year at age 39.

PHOTO: In this Aug. 12, 2001, file photo, Michelle Trachtenberg and Sarah Michelle Gellar attend the Third Annual Teen Choice Awards at Universal Amphitheatre in Universal City, Calif.
Steve Granitz/WireImage via Getty Images, FILE
In this Aug. 12, 2001, file photo, Michelle Trachtenberg and Sarah Michelle Gellar attend the Third Annual Teen Choice Awards at Universal Amphitheatre in Universal City, Calif.

She was found in her New York City apartment near Columbus Circle, according to police sources.

The New York City medical examiner later confirmed she died of natural causes due to complications from diabetes. No foul play was suspected.

Following Trachtenberg’s death, Gellar shared another tribute in February, writing: “Michelle, listen to me. Listen. I love you. I will always love you. The hardest thing in this world is to live in it. I will be brave. I will live… for you,” echoing one of Buffy’s most memorable lines.