India, Feb. 27 -- Michelle Trachtenberg was "struggling" both mentally and physically in the year before her death, an insider told People on Wednesday, February 26. The source added that the Gossip Girl star had been "really down emotionally" while battling undisclosed "health issues."

"She told friends she was struggling," the source said. "She was really, really sick and open with those in her circle about how much she was struggling."

Friends and followers of the actress, who died aged 39, had noticed that she was looking "pale, gaunt" and "very thin" in the days prior to her passing. A neighbour of Trachtenberg told US Weekly that the actress had become "svelte" and looked "less and less like herself in the last few months."

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