Leighton Meester is still reeling from Michelle Trachtenberg‘s death.
The Gossip Girl alum opened up about her former costar’s passing, admitting that the news hit her hard since she is the same age as Trachtenberg, who died in February from complications of diabetes mellitus at 39.
“It’s devastating,” Meester shared in her recent Flaunt cover story. “She was a wonderful, talented person, and everyone loved her. It’s very, very sad for everyone who knew her.”
Looking back at Gossip Girl, which ran for six seasons from 2007 to 2012, Meester added that she now can see how the show’s legacy “continues—in some ways, even more so than back then—to live on, which is incredible.”
It’s the same sentiment shared by castmate Penn Badgley, who told E! News in April that Trachtenberg’s death was “really surreal, really saddening.”
“What I remember of her is she was incredibly quick to laugh,” the 38-year-old said. “She was really joyous.”
And for Blake Lively, she’ll always remember Trachtenberg’s “electricity.”
