How Michelle Trachtenberg’s Cause of Death Is Linked to Her Secret Liver Transplant
Michelle Trachtenberg‘s cause of death was finally revealed two months after her sudden passing. The Medical Examiner of New York City amended the cause and manner of death for the Buffy the Vampire Slayer actress.
Trachtenberg was found dead on February 26, 2025, in New York City. She was 39. Law enforcement sources told TMZ that she underwent a liver transplant in the past year that may have been rejected by her body, causing complications. Police also told the site that Trachtenberg died of natural causes and that criminality was not suspected in her death.
Related: Michelle Trachtenberg’s Net Worth Reveals How Much She Made From Buffy & Gossip Girl
Michelle Trachtenberg’s family opted to not do an autopsy on her body. According to ABC News, there is no suspicion of foul play or criminality associated with the actress’s death, and the medical examiner did not overrule the family’s objection and limited the investigation to an external examination. Her family objected due to religious reasons. However, lab reports found that the actress died due to complications from diabetes, in a statement on April 16.
What kind of diabetes did Michelle Trachtenberg have?
It’s unclear what type of diabetes she had, but both symptoms of Type 1 and Type 2 are similar.
In Type 1 diabetes, the immune system mistakes the body’s healthy cells for foreign ones and tries to fight them. In particular, the immune system destroys the insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas, preventing the body from producing needed insulin. Type 2 diabetes is where the pancreas makes less insulin than it used to, and your body becomes resistant to insulin.
Both types have symptoms of extreme thirst, hunger, fatigue, blurry vision, irritability, increased urination, and headaches. However, type 2 diabetes patients also experience frequent or recurring infections, poor wound healing, numbness or tingling in the hands or feet
According to the CDC, new research links liver disease to Type 2 diabetes. “When your blood sugar is high over a long time, it can damage your internal organs, including your liver,” the bureau states. “Similarly, Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) increase the risk of developing prediabetes or type 2 diabetes. A buildup of fat and damage in your liver can increase your blood sugar levels.”
In the months leading up to her death, Trachtenberg responded to followers who claimed she looked “sick.” “Explain to me how I look sick,” she wrote in response to one commenter before explaining that her different appearance was due to her becoming older and not a disease. “Did you lose a calendar and not realize I’m not 14. I’m 38. How sad for you to leave such a comment.”
However, sources told People that the actress was struggling behind closed doors. “She was really, really sick and open with those in her circle about how much she was struggling,” the insider said. “She was “pale, gaunt, very thin, and dealing with health issues.”
