Sarah Michelle Gellar Posts Touching Tribute After Michelle Trachtenberg’s Death: ‘I Will Be Brave’

“Buffy the Vampire Slayer” star Sarah Michelle Gellar shared a beautiful tribute to her beloved co-star on social media as she mourned her colleague’s death. Michelle Trachtenberg, who played Gellar’s younger sister on “Buffy” for several seasons, died on February 26.

Trachtenberg’s death was first reported by the New York Post. In the hours after the news of Trachtenberg’s death emerged, several of her “Buffy” co-stars posted about their love for her on their social media pages. Gellar’s came slightly later than some of the others, but was a beautiful nod to the sisterly relationship the two women developed.

Sarah Michelle Gellar Quoted Lines From ‘Buffy’ to Honor Michelle Trachtenberg

Gellar shared her tribute to Trachtenberg via Instagram on February 27. In the caption she wrote, “’Michelle, listen to me. Listen. I love you. I will always love you. The hardest thing in this world, is to live in it. I will be brave. I will live… for you.’ 💔💔💔🗝️”

As E! News noted, the lines Gellar included in her post were originally from an episode in season 5 of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” The words were shared by Buffy when she chose to sacrifice herself in the finale of season 5, in order to protect her little sister Dawn.

The Instagram post contained a handful of photos showing Gellar and Trachtenberg together over the years. Some were shots from filming, while others were pictures taken at events or when the ladies spent time together.

The last photo in Gellar’s post was especially poignant. It showed Gellar sitting with Trachtenberg on one side of her, and her good friend Shannen Doherty on the other. Doherty died in July 2024 after a lengthy battle with cancer, noted People.

The first photo Gellar used was from “Buffy,” and showed their characters looking solemn. Trachtenberg leaned her head on Gellar’s shoulder and had her eyes closed. Gellar held one of Trachtenberg’s hands in her own and wrapped her other arm around Trachtenberg’s back.

The ‘Buffy’ Co-Stars Maintained a Sisterly Relationship Beyond the Show

Gellar also shared several of the photos via her Instagram Stories. She used the Sarah McLachlan song “I Will Remember You” to accompany the first picture. The last slide was a screenshot Gellar reshared from someone else.

The photo was from “Buffy” and showed Gellar’s Buffy and Trachtenberg’s Dawn hugging. “It doesn’t matter where you came from or how you got here… You are my sister,” the caption read.

Trachtenberg last shared a photo that included Gellar on her Instagram page on January 22. The picture showed the two ladies casually posing together at an event, and they both wore denim jackets.

The caption of Trachtenberg’s post read, “Slay all day! Always loved this twinning photo of us! #buffy #dawn 🤪 #sister #womancrushwednesday @sarahmgellar 💙💙💋”

Several of Trachtenberg and Gellar’s other “Buffy” co-stars also shared sweet tributes to their beloved co-star. Alyson Hannigan and James Marsters, in particular, recalled the positive energy Trachtenberg always carried with her.