Michelle Trachtenberg: Gossip Girl, Buffy the Vampire Slayer star’s death determined ‘natural’ by officials

Michelle Trachtenberg’s cause of death has been revealed by New York officials after her passing stunned the world in February.

Trachtenberg, loved for her roles in Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Gossip Girl, was found dead in a New York home on February 26.

The beloved star was just 39.

Now, almost two months after her tragic passing, New York City officials have confirmed her cause of death.

The New York City Office of the Chief Medical Examiner has told Page Six that Trachtenberg’s cause of death has been determined “natural”.

It has been revealed that Trachtenberg had diabetes, something not known publicly before her death.

Originally, an “undetermined” cause of death was announced after Trachtenberg’s family objected to an autopsy, with only an external examination of her body being conducted by officials.

Born on October 11, 1985 in New York , Trachtenberg began her acting career at the age of three, appearing in adverts before landing roles in TV series.

She secured a recurring role in The Adventures Of Pete & Pete in 1992 and in 1996 she starred in film Harriet The Spy as an 11-year-old given to spying on neighbours and classmates, and concocting outrageous lies to embellish the everyday details in her private journal.

She was also known for playing Penny in 1999 spy film Inspector Gadget and Jenny in 2004 movie EuroTrip.

Trachtenberg entered hit show Buffy The Vampire Slayer in its fifth season as Dawn, the younger sister of Buffy, and became a regular until the show came to an end in 2003.

In 2005 she starred opposite Kim Cattrall in Ice Princess and was in 2009 teen comedy 17 Again alongside Zac Efron.

She reprised her role as Georgina Sparks in the second series of the recent Gossip Girl sequel.

After her shock death, Buffy co-star Sarah Michelle Gellar paid an emotional tribute to the late actress

Gellar posted on Instagram a modified quote taken from a pivotal scene in Buffy tells her younger sister “the hardest thing in this world, is to live in it”.

She also shared images of her and Trachtenberg during filming and behind the scenes with the cast.