Leighton Meester breaks her silence on Gossip Girl costar Michelle Trachtenbergs death

Leighton Meester is opening up about her former “Gossip Girl” costar’s shocking death.The actress, 39, shared that the news of Michelle Trachtenberg’s death hit her particularly hard because they were the same age.“It’s devastating,” Meester revealed to Flaunt Magazine.“She was a wonderful, talented person, and everyone loved her.

It’s very, very sad for everyone who knew her.”The “Good Cop/Bad Cop” star also reflected on the hit CW drama airing for six seasons from 2007 to 2012.“Now, I can see that [the show’s legacy] continues — in some ways, even more so than back then — to live on, which is incredible,” Meester told the outlet.On the series, the “That’s My Boy” actress played Blair Waldorf while the “Harriet the Spy” alum starred as Georgina Sparks.Penn Badgley, who portrayed Dan Humphrey, broke his silence on Trachtenberg’s death, telling E! News in April that her passing was “really surreal, really saddening.”“What I remember of her is she was incredibly quick to laugh,” the actor, 38, added.“She was really joyous.”Although they hadn’t crossed paths in over 10 years, Badgley said Trachtenberg had a “really pure heart.”Blake Lively (Serena van der Woodsen), meanwhile, reminisced on Trachtenberg’s “electricity” on social media.“You knew when she entered a room because the vibration changed,” the “A Simple Favor” star wrote on her Instagram Stories in February.

“She laughed the fullest at someone’s joked, 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, 37, noted she’ll remember how the late star “always had yummy caramel smelling lipgloss on.”“Because she didn’t just want to sparkle on camera,” she con...