Washington DC [US], April 27 (ANI): Actor Penn Badgley remembered his 'Gossip Girl' late co-star Michelle Trachtenberg at the premiere of his upcoming show 'You' Season 5, reported E!news.

At the premiere, Badgley expressed his sorrow for co-star Michelle, who passed away in February earlier this year.

Badgley told E! News that her death was 'really surreal' and 'really saddening', while recalling her lively personality.

'What I remember of her is that she was incredibly quick to laugh. She was really joyous. 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,' said Badgley as quoted by E!News.

The You star admitted that he hadn't crossed paths with Trachtenberg 'in over a decade' and didn't want 'to claim to have known her well,' but that he'd continue to remember her as a 'really pure heart,' reported Trachtenberg.

Actor Michelle Trachtenberg, known for her roles in 'Gossip Girl' and 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer', has died at the age of 39.

The New York City Police Department (NYPD) stated that she was found unconscious and unresponsive in her Manhattan apartment.

According to Variety, she had recently been undergoing a liver transplant. However, the exact cause of death has not been confirmed, though the NYPD has ruled out any criminal involvement.

In a statement, the NYPD said officers responded to a 911 call shortly after 8 am, and emergency medical workers pronounced her dead at the scene.

'It is with great sadness to confirm that Michelle Trachtenberg has passed away,' her publicist, Gary Mantoosh, said in a statement, adding. 'The family requests privacy for their loss. There are no further details at this time.'

Born in New York on Oct. 11, 1985, Trachtenberg started her acting career at a very young age. She was just 3 when she appeared in commercials, and later, she got her first TV project, the Nickelodeon series 'The Adventures of Pete & Pete', which premiered in the mid-1990s, according to Variety.

Her breakthrough role was playing Dawn Summers on the teen drama 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer'.

Trachtenberg joined the popular show in its fifth season and remained on it through its seventh and final season, which ended in 2003. (ANI)