Rosie O'Donnell is opening up about the tragic death of her Harriet the Spy co-star Michelle Trachtenberg. A child star, Trachtenberg was in poor health as an adult in the years leading up to her untimely death.
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According to O'Donnell, Trachtenberg struggled with addiction in the years prior to her death. "In the last few years, when she was in pretty bad shape, she would call me and we would talk," the former talk show host told Variety.
O'Donnell reflected on how bright she was as a child and how addiction affected her in the last few years of life.
Rosie O'Donnell Talks Michelle Trachtenberg
She said, "It was a tragedy. She was a real genius child who was able to memorize anything, pick up her lines. You could improvise with her, and she was connected and right there. She was so close to her mother, Lana, and her sister, who's a ballerina. They were a very loving family, and then, you know, she got into drugs and alcohol, I believe, and then I lost touch with her."
O'Donnell said that she would reach out to Trachtenberg's mom to check in on her. O'Donnell also revealed that Trachtenberg ghosted her on three or four times they were supposed to hang out. The former child star seemed unaware of her days.
O'Donnell reflected, "She was not in good shape. I didn't think that she would die. With most people suffering from addiction, their loved ones think that they'll survive it, but you can die from your addiction to drugs or alcohol, and it happens too often that it must be taken seriously."
O'Donnell took the death of her young co-star hard. She said that she wished that she had done more to help her. O'Donnell compared Trachtenberg to Whitney Houston.
O'Donnell said, "It's horrible and addiction has hit my family, too. I have a daughter who's addicted. She's been sober a year and a half and she's currently in prison, sadly, but she was born addicted to drugs and never really had a fair shake. It's very serious and there are millions of families in America going through the same thing."
