The Gossip Girl family continues to share tributes to Michelle Trachtenberg. Both fans and those who knew her are reeling after the actress's sudden death at age 39. One of the writers on Gossip Girl, Joshua Safran, shared memories of Trachtenberg and how she brought the character of Georgina Sparks to life. Safran shared his tribute in a thread on X, beginning, "It was an honor and joy to write for Michelle for so many years." He continued, "Georgina unlocked something in me in which writing her was the easiest thing I'd done. It was partially the character: devious, delicious, direct — the most fun to write. But it was also Michelle. She had such a clear voice as an actor. You heard her as you typed." Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Safran explained that Trachtenberg's talent allowed her to "make each line rougher, more real, much funnier — and that made the writing better." He continued, "She was an inspiration and an icon. There's many reasons GG1 caught fire when we came back from the strike, but one of the biggest was the intro of her arc. The injection of *her.*" Gossip Girl premiered in Sept. 2007, just two months before the Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike delayed the show's production. Previously filmed episodes aired through January and were re-run. The strike concluded in February, and production resumed shortly after, with new episodes returning in April 2008. Sparks was introduced in the second episode after the show's return, "Desperately Seeking Serena." "Long live Georgina Sparks, and the brilliant woman who gave her the fire. You will be forever missed. xoxo," Safran concluded. The actress ultimately starred in 28 episodes throughout the original series. She reprised her character in two episodes of the 2021 reboot of the same name. In a series of tributes, creators of the CW series and costars including Ed Westwick, Chace Crawford, Blake Lively, Taylor Momsen and Jessica Szohr shared their memories of the late star, who played scheming socialite Georgina Sparks on the beloved show. Trachtenberg was found dead on Wednesday, Feb. 26 in a New York City apartment near Columbus Circle. The investigation is ongoing, although police say "criminality is not suspected."