Gossip Girl and Buffy The Vampire actress Michelle Trachtenberg has died aged 39.

The actress was found dead at her home in New York City after officers responded to a 911 call just after 8am local time this morning.

An investigation into her death has been opened but “criminality is not suspected”, police said.

Trachtenberg was best known for her work as Dawn Summers in Buffy, the younger sister of the title character played by Sarah Michelle Gellar between 2000 and 2003.

Between 2008 and 2012, she played Georgina Sparks on Gossip Girl – the malevolent rival of Blake Lively’s Serena van der Woodsen and Leighton Meester’s Blair Waldorf.

She also starred in the movie 17 Again, where she portrayed daughter Maggie O’Donnell, comedy film Eurotrip and the 2005 teen film Ice Princess.

Trachtenberg thanked Gellar for speaking out against Joss Whedon in 2021, following abuse allegations made against the Buffy showrunner.

“I am brave enough now as a 35-year-old woman to repost this,” she wrote on social media, and alluded to “his not appropriate behaviour” she experienced as a teenage actor.

In response to claims on the set of Buffy, Mr Whedon told Vulture that he was not as “civilised” as he was now and admitted yelling at the cast – but dismissed several other claims.

Meanwhile, her co-star on Gossip Girl Ed Westwick said in an Instagram Story that he was “so sad to hear of the passing of Michelle Trachtenberg sending prayers”.

Trachtenberg’s first big break into Hollywood came in 1996, starring in the big screen adaptation of Harriet the Spy.

In 2001, she received a Daytime Emmy nomination for hosting Discovery’s Truth or Scare.

Her most recent film appearance came last year when she played the role of Michelle Cody White in Spyral.

Trachtenberg posted on social media in recent months to tell fans she was OK despite concerns that she appeared frail.

She responded to one commenter: “Did you lose a calendar and not realise I’m not 14. I’m 38.”

Wicked stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo are set to perform at this year’s Oscars.

The duo, who starred as Glinda and Elphaba in the film adaptation of the musical last year, have been confirmed as performers at the biggest awards night of the year, having previously denied speculation when quizzed about it.

Also confirmed to be performing at the ceremony, which is taking place in Los Angeles on 2 March, are Doja Cat, Queen Latifah, British singer-songwriter Raye and Lisa of Blackpink – who is currently starring in season three of White Lotus.

There will also be a “special appearance” from the professional choir, the Los Angeles Master Chorale, the Academy announced on Tuesday.

In a slight break from tradition, this year’s ceremony will not include live performances of the best original song nominees, which include: El Mal from Emilia Perez, The Journey from The Six Triple Eight, Like a Bird from Sing Sing, Mi Camino from Emilia Perez and Never Too Late from Elton John: Never Too Late.

What each performer will sing or when is unknown, but it is expected that Erivo and Grande will perform at least one song from Wicked.

Defying Gravity spent four weeks in the Top 10 of the UK’s official chart and became a viral sensation.

This year’s ceremony could prove to be even bigger for the two actresses, as they are both nominated for awards.

Erivo is nominated for best actress and Grande for best supporting actress, both for their roles in part one of Wicked, which landed the largest opening weekend for a stage musical adaptation.

The second part of the film, Wicked: For Good, will be released in November this year.

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Wicked is up against tough competition at this year’s Oscars, with a mixture of films and actors already having claimed prizes at the BAFTAs, Golden Globes and SAG Awards.

It heads into the Oscars with 10 nominations, the same as period drama The Brutalist, while Emilia Perez, a Netflix film starring Zoe Saldana and Karla Sofia Gascon, has broken the record for the most nominated non-English language film in Oscars history with 13 nods.

Watch and follow live coverage of the 97th Oscars on Sky News on Sunday 2 March.

A woman has admitted attempting to defraud Elvis Presley’s family by trying to auction off his Graceland mansion and property before a judge halted the mysterious foreclosure sale.

Lisa Jeanine Findley had initially denied charges of mail fraud and aggravated identity theft in relation to the scheme but has now changed her plea in the two-count indictment.

Prosecutors had said Findley, of Kimberling City, Missouri, falsely claimed Presley’s daughter Lisa Marie had borrowed $3.8m (£3m) from a bogus private lender and had pledged Graceland as collateral for the loan before her death in January 2023.

Findley then threatened to sell Graceland to the highest bidder if Presley’s family did not pay a $2.85m (£2.25m) settlement, according to authorities.

She posed as three different people allegedly involved with the fake lender, fabricated loan documents and published a fraudulent foreclosure notice in a Memphis newspaper announcing the auction of Graceland in May 2024, prosecutors said.

A judge stopped the sale after Presley’s granddaughter and Lisa Marie’s daughter, actress Riley Keough, sued.

Experts were baffled by the attempt to sell off one of the most famous pieces of property in the country using names, emails and documents that were quickly suspected to be fake.

Graceland opened as a museum and tourist attraction in 1982 and draws hundreds of thousands of visitors each year.

A large Presley-themed entertainment complex across the street from the museum is owned by Elvis Presley Enterprises.

Presley, known as the King of Rock and Roll, died in August 1977 at the age of 42

Keough, who inherited the trust and ownership of the home after the death of her mother, filed a lawsuit claiming fraud against Findley and a judge halted the proposed auction with an injunction.

Naussany Investments and Private Lending – the bogus lender authorities say Findley created – said Lisa Marie Presley had used Graceland as collateral for the loan, according to the foreclosure sale notice.

The judge said Elvis Presley’s estate could be successful in arguing that a company’s attempt to auction Graceland was fraudulent.

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Ms Keough’s lawsuit alleged that Naussany presented fraudulent documents regarding the loan in September 2023 and that Ms Presley never borrowed money from Naussany.

After the scheme fell apart, Findley tried to make it look like the person responsible was a Nigerian identity thief, prosecutors said.

An email sent on 25 May 2024 to the Associated Press from the same email as the earlier statement said in Spanish that the foreclosure sale attempt was made by a Nigerian fraud ring that targets old and dead people in the US and uses the internet to steal money.

In a statement, Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti called the scheme “nonsense” and praised the work of federal authorities.

“Graceland matters so much to so many people around the world – just go to Memphis during Elvis Week and listen to all the different accents and languages of fans who make the pilgrimage,” Mr Skrmetti said.

“All of Tennessee is glad that Graceland remains safely in the possession of Elvis’s heir and that it will remain a celebrated Memphis landmark for generations to come.”

Findley will be sentenced on 18 June and would have faced up to 20 years if convicted, but she is expected to receive less than that under the plea deal.