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Culture February 27, 2025

Sarah Michelle Gellar pays tribute to 'Buffy' co-star Michelle Trachtenberg

WATCH: Actress Michelle Trachtenberg dies at 39

Sarah Michelle Gellar is paying tribute to her late "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" co-star Michelle Trachtenberg after her tragic death at age 39.

Gellar took to Instagram on Feb. 27 to share photos of the pair together on "Buffy" and throughout their years of friendship.

'Buffy' and 'Gossip Girl' actress Michelle Trachtenberg dead at 39

"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," she wrote, putting a twist on a beloved "Buffy" quote.

PHOTO: In this Oct. 12, 2004 file photo, Michelle Trachtenberg, left, and Sarah Michelle Gellar pose at the premiere of Columbia Pictures' "The Grudge" at the Village Theatre in Los Angeles.
Kevin Winter/Getty Images, FILE
In this Oct. 12, 2004 file photo, Michelle Trachtenberg, left, and Sarah Michelle Gellar pose at the premiere of Columbia Pictures' "The Grudge" at the Village Theatre in Los Angeles.

Trachtenberg starred on "Buffy" as Dawn Summers, the younger sister of Gellar's titular character Buffy Summers, from 2000 to 2003.

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Trachtenberg was found dead Wednesday, Feb. 26, by her mother in her New York City apartment near Columbus Circle just after 8 a.m. local time, police sources told ABC News.

The sources told ABC News the actress recently underwent a liver transplant and may have been experiencing complications. Trachtenberg is believed to have died of natural causes and no foul play is suspected.

Michelle Trachtenberg's 'Buffy,' 'Gossip Girl' co-stars and more mourn her after death

An autopsy will be conducted by the medical examiner's office to determine the cause and manner of the actress's death.

PHOTO: In this March 20, 2008 file photo, Michelle Trachtenberg, left, and Sarah Michelle Gellar arrive at the "Buffy Reunion" presented by the 25th Annual William S. Paley Television Festivalin Los Angeles.
Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic via Getty Images, FILE
In this March 20, 2008 file photo, Michelle Trachtenberg, left, and Sarah Michelle Gellar arrive at the "Buffy Reunion" presented by the 25th Annual William S. Paley Television Festivalin Los Angeles.

Outside of "Buffy," Trachtenberg was best known for roles in the 1996 Nickelodeon film "Harriet the Spy" and on the teen drama "Gossip Girl" from 2007 to 2012.

Many of Trachtenberg's former co-stars and those who admired her work have been remembering her in the wake of her death.