Actress Sarah Michelle Gellar, 48, posted a beautiful and heartbreaking tribute to her friend and former All My Children and Buffy The Vampire Slayer costar Michelle Trachtenberg on Saturday, Oct. 11. The day would have marked the Harriet, The Spy star's 40th birthday, but she sadly died in February 2025 following diabetes complications.
Related: What Did Michelle Trachtenberg Die From? What We Know About the 'Gossip Girl' Star's Cause of Death
"When you turned 16, it was hard not to still see you as the little girl I met on All My Children. When you turned 21, I had to teach myself to not see you as the little sister anymore," Gellar remembered in a sweet Instagram post that showed a clip of her embracing Trachtenberg in a scene from Buffy The Vampire Slayer, on which the younger actress played her titular character's little sister Dawn Summers for 66 episodes from 2000 to 2003.
"I can’t imagine what 40 would have been like," the star, who is married to Freddie Prinze Jr., continued. "This I know… it would be filled with love. Happy birthday."
"I can’t imagine what 40 would have been like."
Sarah Michelle Gellar on late Michelle Trachtenberg's 40th birthday
Fans were touched and heartbroken by the emotional post and took to the comments to share their love. "Happy birthday to Michelle. She is missed by an entire generation," said one fan, while another added, "All Buffy fans are hugging you and one another right now." A third shared, "Beautiful tribute. Even though it was a TV show, your love for her showed in your expressions. Hoping Michelle is having the best heavenly birthday."
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Gellar and Trachtenberg shared a special relationship through the years, after meeting on the set of All My Children in 1993, when they were 16 and 8 years old, respectively. Trachtenberg was tragically found dead at 39 years old in her New York apartment in February 2025. The medical examiner's office later confirmed in April that her cause of death was complications of diabetes, and that NBC reported that she had also recently had a liver transplant for unclear reasons, and was seen using a cane alongside Gellar at a 2018 event.
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The I Know What You Did Last Summer actress shared an emotional message for her longtime friend following her death on Instagram. "Michelle, listen to me. Listen. I love you. I will always love you," she wrote, seemingly quoting something her character said to Trachtenberg's on Buffy. also included a photo of a smiling Trachtenberg cuddling with Gellar's newborn baby girl, Charlotte, in 2009. "The hardest thing in this world, is to live in it. I will be brave. I will live… for you."
Trachtenberg was also well-known for her work in hit films like Ice Princess, Inspector Gadget, and EuroTrip.
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