'Gossip Girl' Star Michelle Trachtenberg Dead At 39

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UPDATE

10:55 AM PT -- Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Michelle Trachtenberg’s body may have rejected the liver transplant she received within the last year, causing complications. We're told Michelle's mother found her.

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MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: THROUGH THE YEARS
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Michelle Trachtenberg, known for her roles in "Gossip Girl" and "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," has died.

Police sources confirmed the shocking news to TMZ, though the exact cause of her death remains unclear. We're told police and paramedics responded to a call for a woman in cardiac arrest, and found Michelle unresponsive. She was pronounced dead on the scene.

A separate source tells us the actress had received a liver transplant recently ... meaning within the last year. At this point, police reportedly believe she died of natural causes.

We're told Michelle was out with friends Thursday night of last week at Sartiano's in NYC.

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SHOCKING AND SAD
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In recent months, she had posted photos where fans felt she appeared gaunt and frail.

Blake Lively Remembers Costar Michelle Trachtenberg ... 'She Was Electricity'

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Blake Lively's remembering her former costar Michelle Trachtenberg ... saying she always gave 200% effort and she always stood up for what she believed in.

The actress took to Instagram just hours after it was announced that Michelle had passed to pay homage to the star ... sharing a photo of their first day meeting and talking about her former "Gossip Girl" costar.

Blake says she brought an electricity to every room she walked into ... always living life to the fullest -- laughing hard at jokes, taking on authority head-on when she saw injustice and added she was proud to be an actor even when the industry can be difficult.

Michelle Trachtenberg 'Gossip Girl' Costar Ed Westwick Pays Tribute After Death

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Michelle Trachtenberg’s untimely death at 39 has sent shockwaves through her fans and colleagues -- and her former "Gossip Girl" costar Ed Westwick has posted a tribute to the star.

In a heartfelt post on his IG Story Wednesday, Ed shared a pic of Michelle as Georgina Sparks from the popular teen drama series ... captioning it, "So sad to hear of the passing of @michelletrachtenberg."

He added "sending prayers" with the prayer hand and a white heart emoji.

'Gossip Girl' Actress Chanel Maya Banks Files For Restraining Order ... Claims Mom, Cousin Assaulted Husband

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Chanel Maya Banks -- the "Gossip Girl" actress who was reported missing by her family before posting a message to social media explaining she was not in fact missing -- has now filed a restraining order against her mother and cousin.

Banks filed for the restraining order Thursday ... claiming her mother, Lutchmin Judy Kumar, and cousin, Danielle Singh, have worked together to destroy her credibility and harass her.

In the document, Banks says her mom and cousin have repeatedly tried to make unwanted contact with her ... after she says she told them she wanted distance back in October. She says the pair then called Los Angeles police to report her as a missing person and had officers conduct a wellness check on her.

'Gossip Girl' Actress Chanel Maya Banks Found Safe & Uninjured ... After Missing Person Report

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Chanel Maya Banks -- an actress with credits on shows like "Blue Bloods" and "Gossip Girl" -- has been found safe and sound ... this after she was reported missing last week.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Chanel has now been found safe and sound. She doesn't have any injuries and foul play isn't suspected.

ICYMI ... authorities reportedly conducted a welfare check at the L.A. apartment Chanel shares with her husband last week ... where they found all her belongings as well as her dog -- but, no sign of the actress.

Ed Westwick Ties Knot with Longtime Partner!!!

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Ed Westwick's officially hitched ... getting married to his partner Amy Jackson -- and, sharing all the pics on his Instagram!

The "Gossip Girl" star posted about his nuptials Sunday ... sharing a pic of him and his new wife standing at the altar, her in a beautiful white gown and him in a white tuxedo jacket with black pants.

He's got a hand on his stomach in the pic ... and leans in for a quick smooch too -- dropping "The journey has just begun" in the caption.

'Gossip Girl' Star Taylor Momsen Bitten Onstage By Wild Bat ... Requires Rabies Shots!!!

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SURPRISE GUEST

Taylor Momsen -- the frontwoman for The Pretty Reckless band and one-time "Gossip Girl" star --must be feeling pretty rock 'n' roll right now ... 'cause she got bitten by a bat onstage.

Taylor -- who came up as an actress on 'GG' and as Cindy Lou Who in "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" -- was performing while opening for AC/DC in Spain, when a wild bat flew down and bit her on the leg.

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TAKING EVERY PRECAUTION

The singer didn't even realize what had happened ... until members of the audience started pointing at her leg -- where the bat had latched on. The video is wild ... you gotta see it -- not to mention the aftermath.

Britney Spears Thanks Janet Jackson on Social Media ... Shot at Justin Timberlake???

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Britney Spears is showing some love to the great Janet Jackson on Instagram ... while her feud with Justin Timberlake rages on.

The singer-songwriter wrote a loving tribute to JJ in a since deleted Instagram post, thanking Janet for breathing continued life into her dreams while saying she's always looked up to her.

She wrote the emotional message on a screengrab of Jackson' self-titled album, "Janet" released back in 1993.

While it might have just been an innocuous tribute post to another music legend, Britney's got some common ground with Janet ... in that Justin Timberlake won't apologize to either of them.

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Remember ... during a show in New York City at the end of last month, Justin told the crowd he was going to apologize to "absolutely f***ing nobody" before singing "Cry Me A River" -- a clear dig at Brit, but Janet fans assumed that meant her as well.

Justin and Janet will be forever linked for their fateful 2004 Super Bowl Halftime show where Justin ripped Jackson's costume revealing one of her breasts to the crowd -- something he chalked up to an accident at the time.

However, he apologized to both Britney and Janet back in 2021 ... after the documentary "Framing Britney Spears" aired on Hulu, saying he had inadvertently benefited from misogynistic institutions and felt he needed to say sorry for that.

Of course, Britney and Justin have been on especially bad terms after the fake-out apology ... with Spears basically calling Timberlake a crybaby in a basketball-related post.

Maybe Britney's trying to collect allies in her war with JT ... or maybe she's just sending love to a fellow artist.

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Either way, Britney's post certainly got fans' eyebrows raised.

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THE ENEMY OF MY ENEMY IS MY FRIEND
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Stay tuned ...

Drake, 21 Savage Anna Wintour Ugly Clone on Tour So How Do You Like Them Apples?!?

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Drake and 21 Savage must still feel a certain way about Anna Wintour and Vogue on the heels of their nasty lawsuit ... using what appears to be an ugly visual of the fashion giant on their latest tour.

Not only did Drake post the not-so-appealing AI-generated image of a woman with Anna's signature haircut and sunglasses on his Instagram earlier this week ... she's also been popping up in visuals on his "It's All a Blur" tour with 21.

In fact, during the pair's performance of "Jimmy Cooks" -- the apparent Anna-double shows up, opening her mouth to reveal some pretty gnarly teeth.

While neither Drake nor 21 have come out and officially said the image is supposed to represent Anna, it's hard to see anything otherwise.

Of course, there's some unfriendly history between Anna and the rappers. It was back in November when Vogue sued the two for recreating Vogue covers to promote the album "Her Loss" -- both online and throughout cities across the U.S.

Eventually, both sides settled -- Drake and 21 had to reportedly pay up millions -- Condé Nast was seeking at least $4 million in damages.

We reached out to Drake's team to confirm the images are indeed Anna ... so far, no word back.

'Gossip Girl' Star Jordan Alexander Reboot Was Canceled ... But I'm Happy It Even Happened!!!

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LOOKIN' AT THE BRIGHT SIDE
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"Gossip Girl" star Jordan Alexander isn't shedding any tears or holding a grudge after the reboot series was canceled ... instead, she's finding the positive in an awesome experience.

We caught up with Jordan shortly after word got out that HBO Max wasn't bringing back the show for a 3rd season ... which, naturally, sent some fans into a frenzy.

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Jordan obviously isn't thrilled the show got canned, but tells us she's looking on the bright side of it all ... telling us starring in the series was the greatest experience of her life.

Our photog asked if canceling the revival show with such a diverse cast felt like more of a disservice, to which Jordan said she was just happy it happened at all.

The show's creator, Joshua Safran, seemed to share the same sentiment. In an IG post, he wrote, "The EPs and I will forever be grateful to the network and studio for their faith and support; the writers for their devious brains and dexterous talent; the superstar cast for being the greatest of collaborators and friends; and the crew for their hard work, dedication and love for the project. This was honestly the greatest set I ever worked on, top to bottom."

BTW, Jordan says she would be more than happy to do it all over again should the series find a new home.

Dorota Kishlovsky on 'Gossip Girl' 'Memba Her?!

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Polish-American actress Zuzanna Szadkowski shot to stardom after she landed the role of the Waldorf family's wacky maid, Dorota Kishlovsky -- who gets wrapped up in all the drama revolving around the Upper East Side elite -- on the long-running CW drama "Gossip Girl."

Zuzanna Szadkowski was cast alongside an epic group of young actors including Blake Lively as the BFF, Serena van der Woodsen, Taylor Momsen as the fashionable friend, Jenny Humphrey ... and of course, Leighton Meester as the Constance Billard it girl, Miss Blair Waldorf.

Szadkowski can more recently be spotted on "Worth," "Minyan" and "Loserville."

XOXO.

Guess what she looks like now!

Taylor Swift Leader of the Pack Works Out Squad Drama

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Taylor Swift has a major rift in her girl squad -- and the only way to patch it up is to work things out ... or just work out.

Paps got Taylor leaving fitness studio Body By Simone in WeHo Wednesday, looking pensive amid the Selena Gomez and Bella Hadid drama that's brewing.

If you need a refresher ... Selena was seen making out with Bella's recent ex, The Weeknd, and then got unfollowed by Bella on Instagram ... yikes.

Taylor seems to have things under control though ... she's got her bag of tricks on hand.

Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone In the Market for Each Other ... Again

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Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone did what people who aren't together rarely do ... grocery shop.

Andrew and Emma were at Ralphs in Malibu Saturday lookin' all domestic. It's the first time they've been seen together since their heavily-rumored breakup back in March.

Andrew and Emma were together for 3 years. They hooked up on the set of "Spiderman."

Check out the shopping cart. It's really good news for realtor Kathy Doyle, right?

'Gossip Girl' Star Kelly Rutherford Help Me, Obama! Get My Kids Outta Monaco

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IT WOULD BE A WIN FOR AMERICA
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Former "Gossip Girl" star Kelly Rutherford hopes President Obama can do what the legal system hasn't ... get her kids out of Monaco, and end an international custody war with her ex-husband.

Kelly was on TMZ Live talking about the online petition encouraging the prez to step in on her behalf. She finally got the required 100,000 signatures on Tuesday when Kim Kardashian signed and retweeted it to her legion of fans.

Kelly's been battling Daniel Giersch ever since he got a California court's permission years ago to take their son and daughter to France. Giersch claimed he couldn't re-enter the U.S. due to visa issues. Kelly says he's now had their kids declared "habitual residents" of Monaco.

She's desperate for the State Department to throw her a bone, and protect her children's rights as U.S. citizens. It's a crazy saga ... check out her plea to Obama.

Kelly Rutherford I'm Not Done Fighting for My Kids

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Kelly Rutherford plans on doing what you'd hope any mother would do when faced with losing her kids ... she's going to keep fighting.

As TMZ first reported, Rutherford's two children were ordered to live with their father, Daniel Giersh, who happens to live in France. The "Gossip Girl" star has been fighting to have that order overturned, but lost her latest attempt to do so earlier this month.

When our photog spotted Rutherford at LAX Thursday, she was surprisingly upbeat and vowed the battle's not over as far as she's concerned.

Kelly Rutherford Attempt to Keep Kids in U.S. FAILS Freaks Out In Court

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Kelly Rutherford burst into tears and freaked out after a judge shut down her last ditch effort to keep her kids in the U.S.

Rutherford claimed another judge had illegally awarded custody of her 2 kids to her ex-husband, Daniel Giersch, who lives in France. Rutherford claims the judge effectively deported the kids.

So she was in federal court Wednesday ... asking a judge to step in, but the federal judge said he didn't have the power. Outside the courtroom, Rutherford broke down, saying "My own country won't save my children and I pay taxes!"

The judge gave Rutherford a ray of hope, saying although he didn't have jurisdiction over custody, he would set up a conference call Friday with him, Rutherford and Giersch's lawyer ... to figure out a way for Giersch -- who has immigration issues -- to come back to the U.S. to live.

The clock is ticking ... if the judge's Hail Mary doesn't work ... the kids go to France August 19.

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