Penn Badgley recalls ‘Gossip Girl’ co-star Michelle Trachtenberg’s ‘childlike’ quality after ‘surreal’ death

Penn Badgley reacted to his “Gossip Girl” co-star Michelle Trachtenberg’s death nearly two months after she was found dead in her New York City apartment.

“It’s surreal,” the actor told E! News Wednesday at the Season 5 premiere of Netflix’s thriller “You.”

“Really surreal, really saddening,” he added. “What I remember of her is she was incredibly quick to laugh.”

“She was really joyous,” Badgley, 38, continued. “We all have our ups and downs, our lights and shadows, but she had this — I mean, she was mature, but she had this childlike, joyous laugh.”

Despite not having seen Trachtenberg “in over a decade,” he also remembered the actress for having a “really pure heart.”

Badgley portrayed Dan Humphrey on “Gossip Girl” for six seasons from 2007 to 2012, while the “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” alum made recurring appearances on the show as Georgina Sparks from 2008 to 2012.

At one point on the teen drama series, their characters briefly dated.

Trachtenberg was found dead in her apartment on Feb. 26 after going into cardiac arrest. She was 39.

NYPD officers and paramedics discovered her “unconscious and unresponsive” before she was pronounced dead at the scene.

Last week, the NYC medical examiner’s office revealed Trachtenberg died of complications from diabetes mellitus.

Page Six previously learned she had undergone a liver transplant within the last year and was “in very bad shape” before her death.

Just six days before she passed away, Trachtenberg was seen eating at Sartiano’s Italian restaurant with friends.

She reportedly appeared “frail” and was struggling to “walk down the stairs.”

While Trachtenberg never disclosed her health issues publicly, she sparked concern among fans in January 2024.

Following her death, the “Ice Princess” star was mourned by “Gossip Girl” co-stars Blake Lively, Ed Westwick and Chace Crawford.