Actress Michelle Trachtenberg is dead at 39, according to reports.
Originally appeared on E! Online
The 2025 Oscars may have forgotten this beloved star, but her legacy lives on.
During the ceremony at Los Angeles' Dolby Theater on March 2, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences took a moment to celebrate members of the film industry who have passed away over the last year, which included Gene Hackman, David Lynch, Jeff Baena, Maggie Smith, Bob Newhart, Donald Sutherland, James Earl Jones and Mark Withers.
However, viewers pointed out that Michelle Trachtenberg—who died last week at age 39—was not among those among those who received a tribute during the the section, which was introduced by Morgan Freeman and featured a performance from the Los Angeles Master Chorale.
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"Where is Michelle Trachtenberg in the memoriam," one user wrote on X March 2. "She deserved to be there #Oscars2025."
Another added, "No tribute for Michelle Trachtenberg? Lame."
And while others acknowledged that a lot of Trachtenberg's most notable roles were for television—including "Gossip Girl" and "Buffy the Vampire Slayer"—they still would have liked to see her honored.
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"I know Michelle Trachtenberg was more famous for her TV roles," one user explained on X. "But she did work in many films. And she deserved to be included in the In Memoriam."
The Oscars' In Memoriam segment was just one way Hollywood has paid tribute to creatives who lost their lives over the past year. Last month, the 2025 Screen Actors Guild Awards took time to honor fallen entertainers with a heartfelt segment that included TV icons such as Shannen Doherty and Leslie Charleson.
Plus, Aubrey Plaza made her first major public appearance at Saturday Night Live's 50th Anniversary special, where she subtly honored Baena, her husband who tragically died by suicide in January at age 47.
During the sketch comedy show event, the Parks and Recreation alum wore a tie-dye shirt as a nod to one of the Little Hours director's favorite hobbies while introducing Miley Cyrus and Brittany Howard to the stage to sing a rendition of Sinead O'Connor's hit "Nothing Compares 2 U."
Plaza previously revealed that Baena was so into the colorful shirt-making technique that the couple wore matching tie-dye ensembles when they privately tied the knot in 2021 after nearly a decade together.
"We got married on a whim," Plaza explained during a 2021 appearance on The Drew Barrymore Show, "literally decided around 5 p.m. got married at 8:30 p.m. And Jeff got really into tie-dying during quarantine, so I decided that Jeff and I were gonna wear tie-dye pajamas that he made for us."
