Blake Lively encouraged people to “be kind” following the deaths of her late Gossip Girl costar Michelle Trachtenberg and Hayden Panettiere.
Lively, 38, shared a clip of Trachtenberg and Panettiere in their 2005 comedy Ice Princess via her Instagram Story on Monday, August 17, along with a reminder that everyone has private struggles.
“You never know what others are going through,” Lively pointed out. “Thank you to both of these women for all the joy you brought so many.”
Panettiere’s spokesperson confirmed to Us on Sunday, August 16, that the Nashville alum died at age 36 in Greenville, South Carolina. She was found unresponsive from an apparent overdose after authorities responded to reports of an “unresponsive female,” later identified as Panettiere, inside a residence.
“It is with profound sadness that we share the tragic passing of our beloved Hayden. She was an incredible light and a force of nature who brought immeasurable love and joy to all who knew her — and to the millions who watched her onscreen,” her father, Skip Panettiere, told Us in a statement on Sunday. “We ask for privacy as our family takes time to process this unimaginable loss.”
Panettiere had recently opened up about her struggles with addiction and postpartum depression in her memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning, released this past May. (Panettiere is survived by her 11-year-old daughter, Kaya, whom she shared with ex-fiancée Wladimir Klitschko.)
Her death led to an outpouring of grief in Hollywood, with Panettiere’s Nashville costars, Alyssa Milano, Alexa PenaVega and many others offering stirring tributes to her life and legacy.
A similar outpouring of sadness occurred in February when Trachtenberg was found dead at age 39 inside her Midtown West apartment in New York City. The New York City Office of Chief Medical Examiner confirmed in April that the Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Gossip Girl actress died as a result of complications of diabetes mellitus. (Per the Mayo Clinic, diabetes mellitus is classified as a “group of diseases that affect how the body uses blood sugar.”)
At the time, Lively reflected on working with Trachtenberg on Gossip Girl, describing her former costar as “fiercely loyal” and “brave.”
“[Michelle] was electricity. You knew when she entered a room because the vibration changed,” Lively wrote via Instagram at the time. “Everything she did, she did 200%. She laughed the fullest at someone’s joke, she faced authority head on when she felt something was wrong, she cared deeply about her work, she was proud to be a part of this community and industry as painful as it could be sometimes, she was fiercely loyal to her friends and brave for those she loved, she was big and bold and distinctly herself.”
Lively remembered that Trachtenberg always wore “yummy caramel smelling lipgloss … because she didn’t just want to sparkle on camera, she liked creating a nice experience for anyone who was in her orbit, even down to the subtle smell of her lipgloss because she cared about the sweet detail.”
“You take for granted that you get the chance to see an old friend. To paraphrase, the real tragedies in life are the ones that blindside you on an idle Tuesday,” Lively acknowledged. “Hold those you love and have loved dear. The world lost a deeply sensitive and good person in Michelle. May her work and her huge heart be remembered by those who were lucky enough to experience her fire.”
If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, contact the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
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