Sarah Michelle Gellar Marks Michelle Trachtenberg's 40th With A Heartfelt Buffy Tribute
On what would have been her 40th birthday, Sarah Michelle Gellar honored her Buffy the Vampire Slayer co-star Michelle Trachtenberg with a moving tribute, months after Trachtenberg was found dead in her apartment in February 2025.
Sad one today. Sarah Michelle Gellar marked what would have been Michelle Trachtenberg's 40th birthday with a simple, devastating post that hits harder if you grew up on Buffy.
What Gellar posted
On October 11, Gellar shared an Instagram video of Buffy and Dawn hugging, set to Charlie Puth and Wiz Khalifa's 'See You Again.' It's straightforward, and that makes it land even more. The caption is where she really lets you in on how long this relationship ran — all the way back to their soap days — and how much of a little-sister dynamic followed them into Buffy.
'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. I can't imagine what 40 would have been like. This I know... it would be filled with love. Happy birthday @michelletrachtenberg'
The post blew up quickly, with fans and fellow actors leaving messages. No surprise — it's the kind of memory that makes the Buffy years feel very present again.
The loss, and the official cause
Trachtenberg was found dead in her New York City apartment on February 26, 2025. After several weeks of lab testing, the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner of the City of New York ruled her death was due to complications of diabetes mellitus. That confirmation came after a stretch of uncertainty, which is why you may have seen a lot of speculation back in February. This tribute arrives months later, on the day she would have turned 40.
Why this one hits Buffy fans
Trachtenberg joined Buffy the Vampire Slayer in 2000 as Buffy Summers' younger sister, Dawn, and stayed until the series ended in 2003. The Gellar caption nodding to All My Children adds a wrinkle longtime viewers might not have known: they had history before Sunnydale, which makes the big-sister tone of the tribute feel even more personal.
Outside of Buffy, Trachtenberg stacked up a very 2000s resume:
- EuroTrip
- Gossip Girl
- The Adventures of Pete & Pete
- Ice Princess
- 17 Again
It all adds up to a tough reminder: the people behind those comfort-watch shows grew up alongside us, and sometimes the posts that look the simplest say the most.