Sarah Goldberg, who rose to fame with her stint in TV's 7th Heaven from 2002 to 2006, passed away Sept. 27 of natural causes, while in her sleep, her family confirmed.

The actress, 40, was staying in her family's cabin in Wisconsin when she died.

The autopsy report did not conclude any specific cause of death, the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

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"She went to sleep and didn't wake up," her mother said in an interview with Sun-Times.  

Aside from her TV role, Goldberg also lent her acting in such films as My Best Friend's Wedding and Training Day.

Her other TV appearances were in Judging Amy, Without A Trace, 90210 and House.

Born in 1974 in Springfield, Illinois, Goldberg attended Latin School in Chicago before she moved to Amherst College in 1996, where she graduated with a degree in biology before starting her career as an actress.

She eventually landed TV role after TV role, with the stage name Sarah Danielle Madison.

It was because of table linens that became her passport to Hollywood, writes the Sun-Times. She was actually helping arrange tablecloths and napkins on the set of Julia Roberts-starrer My Best Friend's Wedding at the Cuneo mansion in Vernon Hills. Charmed, she roamed around the set when a film crew got impressed by the lustrous brunette. He approached her and asked, "Do you have a purple formal?" He was actually looking for a wedding extra.

"She said, 'No, but I could get one,' " her mother, Judy Goldberg, said. They hurriedly looked for a gown and the ingenue made a brief appearance in the film.

She also landed a role in the Denzel Washington movie, Training Day, where she was featured as a drug addicted college student.

It took her five months until she landed her most defining role, as Sarah Glass Camden, a medical student and daughter of a rabbi portrayed by comedian Richard Lewis, in the long-running 7th Heaven. In the series, she was the apple of the eye of Matt Camden, son of a Christian pastor (played by Stephen Collins). Their unforgettable interfaith romance was a hit among fans.

In lieu of flowers, her family requested that donations be made, instead, to the Sarah Goldberg Memorial Fund.

The private funeral is held for the actress. 

TagsSarah Goldberg, Sarah Goldberg dies, 7th Heaven