Did concerned fans pick up signs that things were not well with Michelle Trachtenberg long before her shocking death? Or was this just an example of internet critics crossing a line?
In January 2024, Michelle posted a pic with Spy Kids star Alexa PenaVega at a hair salon. While it may have been a fun girls day out, some folks couldn’t help but remark on the Buffy The Vampire Slayer star’s appearance. They flooded the comments section with remarks about how Michelle looked “sick” because her hair appeared thinner and her eyes had a yellowish tint.
Related: Michelle’s Final Photos Before Her Shocking Death…
Several even questioned if she was having a problem with her liver at the time. Considering she reportedly had complications from a liver transplant before her death, it sounds like they may have been right? Check out the photo (below):
Whether fans were seeing something genuine or not, Michelle was — understandably — pretty unhappy being told she didn’t look good. The Gossip Girl alum even responded to one commenter who said she looked “pale and sick”, clapping back that she only looks different because she’s not a kid anymore:
“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.”
Damn. She went off. The following day, Michelle continued to fire back at the “haters” for criticizing her appearance — especially some who speculated she’d had work done or something. She insisted she was “happy and healthy,” writing:
“I’ve received several comments recently about my appearance. I have never had plastic surgery I am happy and healthy. Check yourself haters.”
The Ice Princess star added in another post:
“Fun fact. This is my face. Not malnutrition no problems. Why do you have you hate? Get a calendar.”
Flash forward to a little more than a year later, and Michelle has tragically passed away. She was only 39 years old. What happened? Were fans right to be concerned all along? A cause of death has not been determined yet, and her death is not being investigated as suspicious. However, it is believed she died of natural causes. ABC News police sources claimed that the Buffy the Vampire Slayer star recently underwent a liver transplant and may have suffered from complications. Oh no.
As we said, an official cause of death is not yet known. Her family also has not confirmed anything about her health problems yet, but it looks like fans may have been right in their observations all those months ago… Though some certainly crossed the line with their speculation. Perhaps Michelle was dealing with her health even then — but wasn’t ready to share anything with the public yet? We just don’t know at this time.
What we can say is her death is incredibly heartbreaking and unfair. She still had so much more life left to live. Reactions, Perezcious readers? Let us know in the comments.
[Image via Michelle Trachtenberg/Instagram, WENN/Avalon]
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