Following the news that Michelle Trachtenberg passed away, the late actress’ Harriet the Spy co-star Rosie O’Donnell spoke out about the sudden loss.
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In a statement to Us Weekly, O’Donnell stated Trachtenberg’s death was “heartbreaking.”
“I loved her very much,” O’Donnell shared about Trachtenberg. “She struggled the last few years. I wish I could have helped.”
Another Harriet the Spy cast mate, J. Smith-Cameron, also spoke out. “I played Mrs. Welch, Harriet’s mother in Harriet the Spy. Michelle had been on a Nickelodeon show called Adventures of Pete & Pete, but this seemed to be her first lead film role. She was so excited.”
“Her natural ebullient nature was ratcheted up into giddiness as she tried to learn how to handle all that came with that. She was a very charming little girl,” Smith-Cameron continued. “Years later, we found each other on social media and connected briefly. She was always very warm toward me. I feel very shocked and unsettled to hear of her passing.”
Trachtenberg was discovered unconscious by her mother inside her Midtown West Side apartment in New York City on Wednesday, Feb. 26. Her death is not believed to be suspicious. She was 39 years old.
“Upon arrival, officers observed a 39-year-old female unconscious and unresponsive,” the NYPD shared in a statement. “EMS responded to the location and pronounced the victim deceased. Criminality is not suspected.”
Michelle Trachtenberg Previously Stated That Rosie O’Donnell Protected Her on the ‘Harriet the Spy’ Set
Michelle Trachtenberg previously opened up about how Rosie O’Donnell protected her on the set of Harriet the Spy.
“I turned 10 years old on the first day of principal photography of Harriet the Spy,” she explained while chatting about the film’s 25th anniversary with Entertainment Tonight in 2021. “Rosie was my biggest supporter. There was a lot required of me. I’m extremely grateful for the experience.”
Trachtenberg also said she was grateful that fans continued to share how the film impacted them. “‘You inspired my life.’ ‘You made me become a writer,’ All of those, just beautiful things,” she recalled about the messages she’d read.
The late actress even revealed she had auditioned more than 30 times to play the role of Harriet in the film. “I still have the striped T-shirt that I auditioned with in a memory box,” she pointed out.
Trachtenberg added she had recently reconnected with O’Donnell through Instagram. “She protected me so much,” she added about O’Donnell. “I held her first baby, Parker, on set on Harriet.”