Buffy the Vampire Slayer star Sarah Michelle Gellar shares emotional tribute to late co-star Michelle Trachtenberg

Buffy the Vampire Slayer fans have been on an emotional high as Sarah Michelle Gellar has paid a warm tribute to her late co-star Michelle Trachtenberg.

On what would’ve been Trachtenberg’s 40th birthday, Gellar paid a warm tribute to Trachtenberg, the actor who played her on-screen sister, Dawn Summers. Her words were so full of love and were a reminder of the relationship they shared on screen as well as off-screen. The Instagram post immediately touched the hearts of Buffy fans everywhere, all around the world.

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"I can’t imagine what 40 would have been like" : Sarah Michelle Gellar’s Emotional Birthday Message for Buffy the Vampire Slayer star

Sarah Michelle Gellar’s warm homage to her Buffy the Vampire Slayer co-star felt almost like an open letter to someone she can’t believe is truly and forevermore gone.

Posting on Instagram, Gellar began by remembering how long she had known Trachtenberg for. She wrote:

“When you turned 16, it was hard not to still see you as the little girl I met on All My Children. When you turned 21, I had to teach myself to not see you as the little sister anymore.”

She ended her message with a sentimental line that moved fans across the world:

“I can’t imagine what 40 would have been like. This I know… it would be filled with love. Happy birthday @michelletrachtenberg.”

Apart from the write-up on the Instagram post, Gellar shared a short clip of the two of them in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, with Wiz Khalifa’s See You Again.

For long-time fans, it was almost like watching Buffy say goodbye to Dawn all over again.

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Remembering Michelle Trachtenberg aka Dawn Summers, and the legacy of ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’

Michelle Trachtenberg’s role as Dawn Summers in Buffy the Vampire Slayer is without any denying one of the show's most emotional story arcs.

Trachtenberg was introduced in Season 5 as Buffy’s mysterious younger sister, and was later revealed to be a “key,” or rather a celestial energy given human form. Regardless of the fantasy elements, the relationship between Buffy and Dawn felt painfully real, thanks to the relationship that Gellar and Trachtenberg shared off-screen.

Trachtenberg, who entered the world of acting at the age of three, joined the cult TV show in 2000, and she instantly became a fan favorite. Her scenes with Gellar made their sibling relationship one of the show’s most looked-forward-to arcs.

When news broke that Trachtenberg had passed away at 39 due to complications from diabetes, Gellar was among the first to talk about her grief publicly. Soon after her death in February, Gellar had posted a message referencing Buffy’s final words to Dawn in the Season 5 finale. The post read:

“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.”

The quote hit especially hard for longtime fans. It was as though Gellar was speaking to Trachtenberg herself while standing firm on the same promise Buffy made before sacrificing herself to save her sister. It showed that even years after Buffy the Vampire Slayer ended, it still resonates through those who brought it to life.

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Sarah Michelle Gellar’s homage was a representation of the sisterhood that Buffy and Dawn from Buffy the Vampire Slayer shared.

Through Gellar's Instagram post, fans of the cult classic TV show were reminded of the real love that went above and beyond Buffy and Dawn’s relationship on the show.

As the show continues to live on and be a consequential 2000s pop culture landmark, Gellar’s post makes sure that Michelle Trachtenberg’s spirit remains part of the Buffy legacy forever.

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