Michelle Trachtenberg, best known for her roles in Gossip Girl and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, was in a long-term relationship with talent agent Jay Cohen before her sudden death aged 39.
The actress was found dead on Wednesday, February 26 in her New York City apartment, police sources told ABC News.
According to the outlet, Michelle was found at her home near Columbus Circle just after 8am local time by her mother.
It was further reported the actress recently underwent a liver transplant after battling alcohol issues and ‘may have been experiencing complications.’
Police told DailyMail.com that there is no foul play suspected in her death.
‘On Wednesday, February 26, 2025, at approximately 0801 hours, police responded to a 911 call of an aided individual at 1 Columbus Place, within the confines of the Midtown North Precinct,’ police said in a statement.
‘Upon arrival, officers observed a 39-year-old female unconscious and unresponsive. EMS responded to the location and pronounced the victim deceased.
‘Criminality is not suspected. The Medical Examiner will determine the cause of death. The investigation remains ongoing.’
Actress Michelle Trachtenberg was found dead in her New York City apartment on Wednesday, February 26. She was 36 years old
The Hollywood star (left) was in a relationship with talent agent Jay Cohen (right) for nearly five years before her sudden death
Michelle was best known for her roles on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, which aired from 1997 to 2003, and the CW teen drama series Gossip Girl, which ran from 2007 to 2012
On Wednesday, Michelle’s rep confirmed her death in a statement.
‘It is with great sadness to confirm that Michelle Trachtenberg has passed away. The family requests privacy for their loss. There are no further details at this time,’ he said.
Prior to her sudden passing, the Harriet the Spy actress was dating Jay Cohen – a partner and head of film finance and distribution at The Gersh Agency.
The pair have been romantically linked since 2020, and often shared gushing posts about each other on social media.
Following the beloved star’s death, FEMAIL has taken a look back at Michelle and Jay’s loving relationship, and how the pair evolved from co-workers to lovers.
Who is Jay Cohen?
Jay is a partner and head of film finance and distribution at The Gersh Agency, one of Hollywood’s oldest and largest talent agencies with offices in Los Angeles and New York, according to his bio.
Before his career in the entertainment industry, Jay worked as an investment banker on Wall Street.
He later moved to Los Angeles, where he began a three-year partnership with Oscar winner Dustin Hoffman.
Alongside Goldie Hawn, Kurt Russell and Kate Hudson, he founded the company Cosmic Entertainment. Jay’s producing credits include Swimming With Sharks, Two for the Money, and Bride Wars.
Michelle recently shared a Valentine’s Day tribute to her boyfriend on Instagram, posting a photo of the couple dressed in their Halloween costumes
Jay (left) works as a talent agent at The Gersh Agency and produced many films, including the 2009 rom-com Bride Wars starring Kate Hudson and Anne Hathaway
The couple, who have been dating since 2020, are likely to have met in 2014 when Michelle was signed to The Gersh Agency. Sources revealed at the time that Jay was her talent agent
When did Michelle and Jay start dating?
In 2020, it was first reported by Us Weekly that Michelle and Jay were dating.
The actress had signed to The Gersh Agency back in 2014, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
At the time, a source revealed Michelle and her agent at The Gersh Agency had been ‘dating for over a year.’
Another insider revealed that Jay was Michelle’s agent at Gersh.
Does Jay Cohen have kids?
According to his Instagram, Jay is a father to two daughters, Lili and Rachel.
He has shared several photos of his children on social media, most recently when his daughter Lili got married in November 2023.
The Hollywood producer is a father to two daughters: Lili (left) and Rachel (right)
He celebrated his daughter Lili’s wedding in November 2023, writing on Instagram: ‘My youngest Lili and Lyndsay now married. I gained a new beautiful sweet loving daughter in my family’
Jay often shared snaps with his daughters to social media, showcasing their trip to Miami, Florida, in June 2023
‘First vacation with my daughters in a while ! Love you both so much,’ he wrote on Instagram in June 2023
‘My youngest Lili and Lyndsay now married. I gained a new beautiful sweet loving daughter in my family,’ he captioned the post.
Earlier that year, he also traveled to Miami, Florida, with his daughters in June.
‘First vacation with my daughters in a while! Love you both so much,’ Jay wrote alongside a post of himself with his kids.
Inside Michelle’s relationship with Jay
One of Michelle’s final social media posts was a gushing Valentine’s Day tribute for Jay.
On Instagram, where the actress boasted 827,000 followers, the couple were seen posing for a photo together in their Halloween costumes. Jay was dressed as Frankenstein, while Michelle channeled Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde for her costume.
‘Happy Valentine’s Day to the man who sits still long enough for me to paint his face,’ the Harriet the Spy actress captioned the post, which she shared on February 14, 2025.
In March last year, Michelle paid tribute to Jay’s birthday by posting their Halloween costumes once again, this time celebrating his birthday in the caption.
In recent years, Michelle has sparked concern for her health after sharing troubling social media posts in which she looked frail
Michelle reportedly underwent a recent liver transplant after battling alcohol issues and ‘may have been experiencing complications’
‘Happy Birthday to the man who puts up with me @jaymcohen,’ she wrote, alongside a red heart emoji, a fire emoji, a lips emoji and a birthday cake emoji.
Meanwhile, Jay honored Valentine’s Day in February 2023 with a mirror selfie of the pair, captioning the Instagram post: ‘My valentine.’
In 2021, Michelle and Jay spent July Fourth together as the talent agent posted another loved up selfie with his partner. ‘#Fireworks are every day with this one!!’ he wrote.
In recent years, however, Michelle has sparked concern for her health after sharing troubling social media posts in which she looked frail.
Last year, the star hit back at ‘haters’ who expressed concern over her health and appearance, writing: ‘Fun fact. This is my face. Not malnutrition no problems. Why do you have [to] hate? Get a calendar.’
The drama began when Michelle shared a snap of herself about to get her hair done at Tracey Cunningham’s Mèche salon in Beverly Hills, when a fan asked: ‘Michelle [you] look sick. [Are you] ok?’
Michelle replied: ‘@cathy_critz explain to me how I look sick. Did you lose a calendar and not realize I’m not 14? I’m 38. How sad for you to leave such a comment.’
The next day, she posted yet another selfie with the defiant caption: ‘I’ve received several comments recently about my appearance. I have never had plastic surgery. I am happy and healthy. Check yourself haters.’
Michelle landed her first breakout role at just 10 years old as the star of the 1996 movie adaptation of Harriet the Spy, appearing alongside Rosie O’Donnell (right)
At 19, she appeared in Buffy the Vampire Slayer as Dawn Summers, the younger sister of the title character played by Sarah Michelle Gellar (right)
Michelle portrayed ‘The Witch of the Upper East Side’ Georgina Sparks in Gossip Girl, which also starred actress Blake Lively (right)
She reprised her role as Georgina in two episodes of the second and final season of HBO Max’s Gossip Girl reboot
Michelle, pictured in November 2023, executive produced and hosted the 13-episode true-crime docuseries Meet, Marry, Murder for Tubi TV in 2021
Michelle began her acting career aged three on the Nickelodeon television series The Adventures of Pete & Pete, which ran from 1994 to 1996.
She was best known for her work as Buffy’s (Sarah Michelle Gellar) younger sister Dawn Summers in Buffy the Vampire Slayer from 2000 to 2003.
She also had a recurring role as ‘The Witch of the Upper East Side’ Georgina Sparks in Gossip Girl alongside Blake Lively, spanning 2007 to 2012.
In 2023, Trachtenberg reprised her role in two episodes of the second (and final) season of HBO Max’s Gossip Girl reboot.
Her last major gig was executive producing and hosting the 13-episode true-crime docuseries Meet, Marry, Murder for Tubi TV in 2021.
