Featured Image Credit: J. Meric/WireImage for Manning, Selvage and Lee/Kevin Winter/Getty Images
Topics: Celebrity, US News, TV And Film, Oscars
Rhianna Benson
Topics: Celebrity, US News, TV And Film, Oscars
Viewers of the 97th Academy Awards have called out producers for omitting actress Michelle Trachtenberg from the annual In Memoriam segment of the ceremony.
The late Gossip Girl star tragically died earlier this week (26 Feb), aged just 39.
Trachtenberg - famed for playing Georgina Sparks on the hit teen drama series - was found dead in a New York City apartment near Columbus Circle, with police later telling press they were not treating her death as suspicious.
A spokesperson from the NYPD subsequently added that an autopsy will soon be conducted on the star by the medical examiner's office to determine Trachtenberg's cause of death.
The actress - who also played fan-favourite formidable assassin Dawn Summers in Buffy The Vampire Slayer in the 2000s - died just four days ahead of this year's Oscars ceremony.
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Naturally, therefore, many expected Trachtenberg to feature in the heartbreaking In Memoriam section of the festivities - where the lives of the stars we've sadly lost in the last 12 months are honoured.
Unfortunately, however, she didn't receive a mention.
And her omission from the tear-jerking scene didn't go unnoticed by thousands of viewers watching from home, many of whom have branded producers of the star-studded soiree 'shameful'.
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Taking to X (formerly Twitter), one hit out: "Michelle Trachtenberg not being mentioned in the in memoriam section of the oscars is upsetting, you are and will remain so so loved and admired Michelle."
Another continued: "It’s shameful that the #Oscars didn’t include Michelle Trachtenberg in their memorial montage of all the actors/actresses who have passed within the year!!!!"
"Not to mention Michelle Trachtenberg in #theoscars In Memoriam was a huge oversight," a third continued.
Another wrote: "Michelle Trachtenberg wasn’t in the In Memoriam….#Oscars".
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Following the news of the actress' death, millions of tributes came flooding in online - many of which came from her former co-stars.
Ed Westwick - best known for playing Chuck Bass on Gossip Girl - wrote on Instagram: "So sad to hear of the passing of @michelletrachtenberg sending prayers [prayer and white-heart emojis]."
Blake Lively - who played Serena Van Der Woodsen on the show - also shared a heartfelt message on social media.
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Sharing a snap alongside Trachtenberg allegedly taken on the 'first day' they met, Lively penned: "She was electricity. You knew when she entered a room because the vibration changed. Everything she did, she did 200%."
The actress continued: "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."
Sharing a sweet anecdote from their days on the Gossip Girl set together, Lively continued: "And she always had yummy caramel smelling lipgloss on 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 details.
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"She was a kind person, through and through."
The mother-of-four went on to add: "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."
Issuing a piece of advice to her followers reading the tribute, the actress resolved: "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," Lively concluded.
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