Gossip Girl star Leighton Meester opens up about the late Michelle Trachtenberg

Michelle Trachtenberg passed away at the age of 39 in February of this year. 

Best known for her roles in Gossip Girl and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the actress was reportedly found dead in her New York City apartment. 

In April, it was confirmed that Trachtenberg died due to complications caused by diabetes.

Many of her co-stars paid tribute following her untimely passing, including Gossip Girl star Leighton Meester.

Leighton Meester, who starred in Gossip Girl as Blair Waldorf alongside Blake Lively and Trachtenberg, recently opened up about the star's devastating death in an exclusive interview with Flaunt Magazine:

“She was a wonderful, talented person, and everyone loved her. It’s very, very sad for everyone who knew her.”

Meester reflected on the hit TV show as her new TV series Good Cop/Bad Cop is set to be released soon:

“Now, I can see that [the show’s legacy] continues—in some ways, even more so than back then—to live on, which is incredible.”

Other Gossip Girl stars, including Blake Lively (Serena Van Der Woodsen), paid tribute to Michelle Trachtenberg.

She wrote: 

“Everything she did, she did 200%. She laughed the fullest at someone’s joke, she faced authority head on when she felt something was wrong, she cared deeply about her work, she was proud to be a part of this community and industry as painful as it could be sometimes, she was fiercely loyal to her friends and brave for those she loved, she was big and bold and distinctly herself."