Michelle Trachtenberg Was ‘Not in Good Shape,’ Struggling with Addiction Before Her Death

DarkLordsHaunt

DarkLordsHaunt

Max the Vampire Slayer
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Sineya
from People magazine:
Rosie O’Donnell Claims Michelle Trachtenberg Was ‘Not in Good Shape,’ Struggling with Addiction Before Her Death

TLDR; Michelle got into drugs and alcohol at some point and it ultimately seems to be what lead to her health issues and death.

Such a shame. I had heard rumors that she struggled with alcoholism but I didn't fully believe it was true. Some people say they could tell just by her Instagram posts she was using or drinking. I was unaware of that.

Definitely hurts. I truly hope she's at peace now.

BTW, not sharing this to shame her. Just sharing because it was info about her. I am not judging, so I hope you won't either. I am just sad for her!
 
AlphaFoxtrot said:
Yes, I saw this from Variety. I wish the interviewer would have pushed back, asked her to clarify why this statement is in conflict with the received narrative. Because, my instincts are that R was thinking of someone else, but she's a good enough source that you have to take her claim seriously.
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Oh I believe Rosie is telling the truth. This isn't the first time I've heard about Michelle struggling with addiction, it's just the first time I've heard it from a more "official" source.
 
I wonder what led up to it. Trauma, genetics, just didn't know how else to cope? There's always a reason. Makes me so sad. I have a lot of alcoholics in my family.
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I don't think O'Donnell had bad intentions. She speaks her mind. Clearly she cared for her very much. She doesn't strike me as the type to say things just to say them or for herself. I hope so anyway.
 
Yes, I agree R is close enough to know the situation in full, but so far outside the Hollywood system and with enough "F'off Money" not to care about the narrative that she would just blurt out the truth about may have been an open secret, and Variety just forgot we weren't supposed to talk about that.
 
When i saw her bloated face but thin body back when she was on criminal minds, i worried. She reminded me of bulimics and alcoholics i have known - and i have known a lot. The other thing that i worried about was her having to take steroids. So her being ill did not surprise me, though diagnosis by TV screen is impossible. I tried to hope for the best.

I always wondered about the diabetes diagnosis. Many bulimics with *type one* diabetes abuse insulin to stay thin. Needless to say, that is very dangerous.

Note 1- the reports said type two diabetes.

Note 2 - it is not uncommon to find alcoholism, drug addiction and an eating disorder together - it is all part of being an addictive person.

If alcohol and or drugs were involved with bulimia and/or diabetes? Well, the recovery literature says the ends of addicts are - jails, institutions and death. She had at least two of those. Makes me so sad. I hope her on set stress did not damage her the way i always suspect it damaged Nick. Even 'favourites' get damaged by abusers. I hope both are at peace.

Her performance in Criminal Minds was wrenching and disturbing - wounded, even. Yes, she was a very talented actor - but part of me experienced a 'ping' when i saw that episode. The kind where you feel something not qiute right. It was the same sort of ping I always felt when i heard Kurt Cobain's voice. It always sounded like death though before his suicide i would probably have just said he felt "wong". No, i did not predict his death or hers - just remember feeling uneasy to witness & hear an 'off' note. That note was not in Michelle's early Buffy performances. Not sure about season 7.
 
DeepBlueJoy said:
When i saw her bloated face but thin body back when she was on criminal minds, i worried. She reminded me of bulimics and alcoholics i have known - and i have known a lot. The other thing that i worried about was her having to take steroids. So her being ill did not surprise me, though diagnosis by TV screen is impossible. I tried to hope for the best.

I always wondered about the diabetes diagnosis. Many bulimics with *type one* diabetes abuse insulin to stay thin. Needless to say, that is very dangerous.

Note 1- the reports said type two diabetes.

Note 2 - it is not uncommon to find alcoholism, drug addiction and an eating disorder together - it is all part of being an addictive person.

If alcohol and or drugs were involved with bulimia and/or diabetes? Well, the recovery literature says the ends of addicts are - jails, institutions and death. She had at least two of those. Makes me so sad. I hope her on set stress did not damage her the way i always suspect it damaged Nick. Even 'favourites' get damaged by abusers. I hope both are at peace.

Her performance in Criminal Minds was wrenching and disturbing - wounded, even. Yes, she was a very talented actor - but part of me experienced a 'ping' when i saw that episode. The kind where you feel something not qiute right. It was the same sort of ping I always felt when i heard Kurt Cobain's voice. It always sounded like death though before his suicide i would probably have just said he felt "wong". No, i did not predict his death or hers - just remember feeling uneasy to witness & hear an 'off' note. That note was not in Michelle's early Buffy performances. Not sure about season 7.
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She supposedly had diabetes due to a liver transplant...... and presumably had the transplant because she ruined it with alcohol? But I heard they won't give transplants to alcoholics. Don't know specifics on that.
 
DarkLordsHaunt said:
She supposedly had diabetes due to a liver transplant...... and presumably had the transplant because she ruined it with alcohol? But I heard they won't give transplants to alcoholics. Don't know specifics on that.
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They can give them to people who are sober and seem likely to stay that way. The decision is complicated.Sadly, some really rich people get priority, but i suspect she wasn't quite that privileged.

Even the best candidates who do everything they should sometimes don't survive. Medicine is not like TV. Sick people die. If she needed a transplant, her liver had to have been pretty sick.

It is sometimes possible for someone to get a partial liver from a living donor. The requirements for that donation may have more to do with finding a willing person who is a match than if you are fully 'suitable'. No idea. We are all in the guessing game... and unless her family decides to shed light on things, I suspect it will stay that way. It is unlikely that her remains will be subject to an autopsy in the future unless foul play becomes a question. It doesn't sound as if the authorities thought it likely or they could have overruled the family.

It sounds as though all they have for results is toxicology from her blood and now we have what Rosie O'Donnell shared. It's not a lot.

I just wish she'd beat the disease... whether it was addiction or something else, or some nasty combination. 39 is too F___ing young.
 
The issue here is we're getting information from a third party. No matter how reliable they might seem, they weren't MT's doctor, so anything they say can't be taken as fact. It might be, but it's impossible to know and leads to speculation around it.
 
DarkLordsHaunt
DarkLordsHaunt
That's a very good point
DeepBlueJoy said:
They can give them to people who are sober and seem likely to stay that way. The decision is complicated.Sadly, some really rich people get priority, but i suspect she wasn't quite that privileged.

Even the best candidates who do everything they should sometimes don't survive. Medicine is not like TV. Sick people die. If she needed a transplant, her liver had to have been pretty sick.

It is sometimes possible for someone to get a partial liver from a living donor. The requirements for that donation may have more to do with finding a willing person who is a match than if you are fully 'suitable'. No idea. We are all in the guessing game... and unless her family decides to shed light on things, I suspect it will stay that way. It is unlikely that her remains will be subject to an autopsy in the future unless foul play becomes a question. It doesn't sound as if the authorities thought it likely or they could have overruled the family.

It sounds as though all they have for results is toxicology from her blood and now we have what Rosie O'Donnell shared. It's not a lot.

I just wish she'd beat the disease... whether it was addiction or something else, or some nasty combination. 39 is too F___ing young.
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I remember in her last year or so (I can't remember exact time frame) people were expressing lots of concern about her appearance. She did not look healthy. She genuinely looked sick. Anytime someone would comment and express genuine concern she would respond to them, angry about it. Saying she only looked different because she wasn't a teenage girl anymore.

I wonder - and I'm totally speculating - if she was in some level of denial about how sick she was. Or maybe just really determined to not let anyone know. But then why respond at all? I dunno.

I just feel so sorry for her and her loved ones. Such a damn shame.
 
Btvs fan said:
Iv read the whole article its from. To be frank it feels very peformantive on O'Donnells part
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Yeah, Rosie is loyal to her brand, thats for sure.

I hate all this, Michelle is dead, let her go in peace, why drag her up for a gossip rag? This is gross on Rosies part. Michelle didnt have to listen to anyones "concerns" she was an adult and free to make her own health choices. Its no ones business if Michelle herself did not want to share details of personal health issues. We cant be cheering on taking choices away from people, even if choices are judged by society to be poor choices. Celebs cant win, if they dont share people speculate, if they do share, people blame.
 
November said:
Yeah, Rosie is loyal to her brand, thats for sure.

I hate all this, Michelle is dead, let her go in peace, why drag her up for a gossip rag? This is gross on Rosies part.
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Rosie has been looking for a reason to be relevant ever since she fled the country and moved to Ireland. Last month she appeared on Andy Cohen's show, claiming that she tried to warn Whitney Houston's team about Whitney's drug issues. As if they didn't already know.

To paraphrase @Btvs fan it felt very much like performance art. The entire situation is in poor taste, like dancing on someone's grave for your own benefit.
 
DarkLordsHaunt said:
I remember in her last year or so (I can't remember exact time frame) people were expressing lots of concern about her appearance. She did not look healthy. She genuinely looked sick. Anytime someone would comment and express genuine concern she would respond to them, angry about it. Saying she only looked different because she wasn't a teenage girl anymore.

I wonder - and I'm totally speculating - if she was in some level of denial about how sick she was. Or maybe just really determined to not let anyone know. But then why respond at all? I dunno.

I just feel so sorry for her and her loved ones. Such a damn shame.
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Angry at confrontation like a using addict, you say? Determine to keep secrets even when people are just reaching out? Have to say, the more I think of her reactions, the more she sounds like a using addict.

"A symptom of our disease is alienation..." - NA basic text

Angry, dishonest, hostile, alienated from others... It was also clear that (unlike even a few years ago, she was wearing a ton of makeup - a lot more make up than most other women her age) maybe that make up was hiding how bad her skin looked? It is hard to hide being gaunt and skeletal. Make up can cover broken capiliaries (drinking or bulimia) yellow skin (liver damage, whatver source) bags under the eyes and/or blotchy skin - (general ill health)

Family shame is also common. They are entitled to grieve in private, however. Nothing they do can fix anything. Are we ghouls to examine and speculate? I don't know. I do know most of us care and grieve.

Of course, the sad truth is that people die even when everyone does everything right.

People who never did anything 'wrong' die before their 'time'. If she did die of her addiction, it is important to remember addiction is a disease.


Anyanka Bunny Slayer said:
Rosie has been looking for a reason to be relevant ever since she fled the country and moved to Ireland. Last month she appeared on Andy Cohen's show, claiming that she tried to warn Whitney Houston's team about Whitney's drug issues. As if they didn't already know.

To paraphrase @Btvs fan it felt very much like performance art. The entire situation is in poor taste, like dancing on someone's grave for your own benefit.
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Rosie is not my fav source, but even broken clocks are right twice a day. Was she genuinely concerned? We cannot know.

The thing is, in this case, her observations resonate.

What we saw - how Michelle looked and how she behaved in response to people tends to agree with what Rosie said. We don't have proof but we have a proponderance of supporting material, including Michelle's own body. It paints a sad picture.
 
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DeepBlueJoy said:
When i saw her bloated face but thin body back when she was on criminal minds, i worried. She reminded me of bulimics and alcoholics i have known - and i have known a lot. The other thing that i worried about was her having to take steroids. So her being ill did not surprise me, though diagnosis by TV screen is impossible. I tried to hope for the best.

I always wondered about the diabetes diagnosis. Many bulimics with *type one* diabetes abuse insulin to stay thin. Needless to say, that is very dangerous.

Note 1- the reports said type two diabetes.

Note 2 - it is not uncommon to find alcoholism, drug addiction and an eating disorder together - it is all part of being an addictive person.

If alcohol and or drugs were involved with bulimia and/or diabetes? Well, the recovery literature says the ends of addicts are - jails, institutions and death. She had at least two of those. Makes me so sad. I hope her on set stress did not damage her the way i always suspect it damaged Nick. Even 'favourites' get damaged by abusers. I hope both are at peace.

Her performance in Criminal Minds was wrenching and disturbing - wounded, even. Yes, she was a very talented actor - but part of me experienced a 'ping' when i saw that episode. The kind where you feel something not qiute right. It was the same sort of ping I always felt when i heard Kurt Cobain's voice. It always sounded like death though before his suicide i would probably have just said he felt "wong". No, i did not predict his death or hers - just remember feeling uneasy to witness & hear an 'off' note. That note was not in Michelle's early Buffy performances. Not sure about season 7.
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one of the last concerts cobain gave - maybe THE last one? - he had this look on his face i never forgot. just this look of rage and anguish . some NB had a look on his face that was truly vulnerable. he was a survivor. it would not surprise me if some of the cast were also survivors. sometimes they hide the secret, even from themselves.
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November said:
Yeah, Rosie is loyal to her brand, thats for sure.

I hate all this, Michelle is dead, let her go in peace, why drag her up for a gossip rag? This is gross on Rosies part. Michelle didnt have to listen to anyones "concerns" she was an adult and free to make her own health choices. Its no ones business if Michelle herself did not want to share details of personal health issues. We cant be cheering on taking choices away from people, even if choices are judged by society to be poor choices. Celebs cant win, if they dont share people speculate, if they do share, people blame.
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i don't believe in the whole 'celebs' thing. these are just people who earn a living by reciting lines and having a camera pointed at them. if they filmed some dude or woman on the street and beamed their image all over the globe via tv or the big screen, well yeah. they'd seem "important" too suddenly. hollyweird is an illusion. they aren't a separate species, they're just folks who got famous. but yea that's human nature, whatever you do or say, somebody doesnt like it.
 
DeepBlueJoy said:
Rosie is not my fav source, but even broken clocks are right twice a day. Was she genuinely concerned? We cannot know.

The thing is, in this case, her observations resonate.

What we saw - how Michelle looked and how she behaved in response to people tends to agree with what Rosie said. We don't have proof but we have a proponderance of supporting material, including Michelle's own body. It paints a sad picture.
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I agree completely.
I don't know if Rosie should've talked about it publicly like that, but I don't doubt she's telling the truth. It's not like she's the first person to ever say Michelle was an addict. We all know what we saw.
 
It has long been known that a persons diet can change due to the amount of quality foods they are eating, that being so her figure would change to make her thinner or fatter dependant on the levels of protein / sugar / salts et cetera that entered her body.
As far as I'm concerned though, it should be enough to like a person for who they are, and not at all based on what they looked like.
 
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