Michelle Trachtenberg was 'in pretty bad shape' in the years leading up to her death, as her Harriet the Spy co-star Rosie O'Donnell has opened up about the star's final years10:15, 17 Jul 2026Updated 11:00, 17 Jul 2026Michelle Trachtenberg was “not in a good shape” just before she tragically died at the age of 39, according to a new interview with Rosie O’Donnell. The actress, 64, opened up on what it was like working with Michelle, with the two co-starring on the ‘90s hit movie, Harriet the Spy.‌Opening up on the years before her death, Rosie revealed: “In the last few years, when she was in pretty bad shape, she would call me and we would talk.‌“I also called her mother to find out what was going on, and her mother told me what was happening, and how long it had been happening," she told Variety.‌According to the 64-year-old, who played Ole Golly with Michelle in the 1996 movie, she often made plans with Michelle, but she “never showed up” to see her.“We were supposed to see each other three or four times, and she just never showed up - sometimes at restaurants, other times at my house where we’d had someone prepare the whole meal.“I would call her and go, ‘Honey, are you heading over?’ And she’d go ‘Was that today?’ She was just not in good shape.”‌Looking back, Rosie admitted she wishes she could have done more for Michelle: “I tried to help her as much as I could, but she was inaccessible towards the end,” she said.Michelle was found unconscious in her Midtown West Side apartment in New York City back in February 2025.‌Announcing her death last year, a representative told The Hollywood Reporter: “It is with great sadness that Michelle Trachtenberg has passed away. The family requests privacy for their loss. There are no further details at this time.”The New York City Office of Chief Medical Examiners confirmed that her sudden death at the age of 39 was a result of diabetes complications, with a source saying her health had been deteriorating for some time.‌Michelle made her acting debut in the Nickelodeon series The Adventures of turns of Pete & Pete in 1994 and her film debut in Harriet the Spy in 1996.She was best known for her work on TV series such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Six Feet Under, House, Weeds, Criminal Minds, NCIS: Los Angeles, Sleepy Hollow, and Gossip Girl.The actress’s final live-action acting role was in the Gossip Girl remake on the streaming service MAX, where she reprised her role as Georgina Sparks for two episodes.‌Rosie expressed how Michelle sudden death reminded her of Whitney Houston, who died in February 2012 aged 48 after being found unresponsive in her own hotel room.“It reminded me of Whitney Houston where everyone knew what was going on, but no one was willing to say something, and often because the people that are closest to you are employed by you when you’re that big of an entity, and they don’t want to lose their job or their money.‌“With Whitney, I did say to her people when she didn’t show up to [The Rosie O’Donnell Show] for Cinderella. It was supposed to be a whole tour with her and Brandy, and she didn’t show up just a few minutes before the show went live. I said to them after the show, ‘This is her legacy, and if she dies it’s on your watch’.”But, tragically, Rosie revealed that despite knowing about Michelle’s ongoing struggles, she never actually thought she would die.‌“I didn’t think that she would die,” she said. “With most people suffering from addiction, their loved ones think that they’ll survive it, but you can die from your addiction to drugs or alcohol, and it happens too often that it must be taken seriously.”Rosie’s family hasn’t been unscathed from addiction, as she admitted “it’s hit my family too”, before explaining she has “a daughter who’s addicted”.“She’s been sober a year and a half and she’s currently in prison, sadly, but she was born addicted to drugs and never really had a fair shake. It’s very serious and there are millions of families in America going through the same thing," Rosie said of her eldest daughter, Chelsea.Article continues belowRosie has five children, she adopted her son Parker in 1995 and two years later, her daughter Chelsea. She then had two more children with her former partner Kelli Carpenter, who also adopted Parker and Chelsea. In 1999, they adopted Blake, then in 2002, Kelli gave birth to their daughter Vivienne via artificial insemination. Rosie and her late ex-wife Michelle Rounds then had 13 year old Clay in 2013.Like this story? For more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Threads.