Leighton Meester breaks silence on Michelle Trachtenberg’s ‘devastating’ death in emotional statement

Leighton Meester is addressing Michelle Trachtenberg’s “devastating” death for the first time.

“She was a wonderful, talented person, and everyone loved her,” the actress said in a new interview, two months after her “Gossip Girl” co-star’s passing.

“It’s very, very sad for everyone who knew her,” the 39-year-old told Flaunt magazine Tuesday.

Meester went on to speak fondly of the show’s legacy, gushing, “Now, I can see that it continues — in some ways, even more so than back then — to live on, which is incredible.”

The “Single Parents” alum and Trachtenberg played Blair Waldorf and Georgina Sparks, respectively, on the hit show from 2007 to 2012.

In addition to the series’ initial six seasons, Trachtenberg reprised her role for the “Gossip Girl” reboot that aired in 2021.

News broke in February that the “Harriet the Spy” star had been found dead by her mother in her New York City apartment.

Trachtenberg was 39.

Last month, the “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” alum’s cause of death was revealed to be complications caused by diabetes.

Many members of the “Gossip Girl” cast took to social media at the time of Trachtenberg’s passing to share touching tributes.

Ed Westwick, who played Chuck Bass, was the first to post, writing, “So sad to hear of the passing of @michelletrachtenberg sending prayers.”

As for Blake Lively, she reflected on loving “fiercely loyal” Trachtenberg‘s “electricity” and “yummy caramel smelling lip gloss” while acting alongside her as Serena van der Woodsen.

Jenny Humphrey actress Taylor Momsen, for her part, wrote, “I will miss you everyday my love. I think we truly understood each other and I am so grateful to have had a friend like you in my life for so long.”

Meester, notably, did not publicly mourn Trachtenberg until speaking to Flaunt.

Elsewhere in Tuesday’s interview, the “Good Girls Go Bad” gave a rare comment about her and husband Adam Brody losing their Los Angeles home in January’s record-breaking wildfires.

“It’s not a one-day event that ended,” she explained. “It’s ongoing. It’s a roller coaster because sometimes it’s all right, and then, sometimes, there are moments that are harder.

“The best thing I can do is just take it one step at a time,” Meester continued. “There are so many people who are in this position. … I am not alone.”

She and the “O.C.” alum, 45, share two children, with Meester calling their family “all that matters to” her.