American actor Hayden Panettiere, famous for lead roles in television dramas Heroes and Nashville, passed away at the age of 36, her representative confirmed on Sunday night. The family has not released a cause of death.
Her father Skip Panettiere released a statement confirming the young star’s death. “It is with profound sadness that we share the tragic passing of our beloved Hayden. She was an incredible light and a force of nature who brought immeasurable love and joy to all who knew her and to the millions who watched her onscreen,” Skip Panettiere stated, requesting privacy for the family to process the loss.
Born in 1989, Panettiere entered the entertainment industry at 11 months old after appearing in a commercial for toys. She voiced the character Dot in the 1998 animated film A Bug’s Life at age nine, appeared in Remember the Titans in 2000, and took her first leading role in the 2004 Disney Channel film Tiger Cruise.
Global prominence came at age 17 when she played cheerleader Claire Bennet in the sci-fi series Heroes. The show ran for four seasons between 2006 and 2010.
Panettiere later earned two Golden Globe nominations for portraying country musician Juliette Barnes in Nashville. During the run of the series, Panettiere placed 11 recorded tracks on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. Her film credits also include playing Kirby Reed in Scream 4 in 2011 and Scream VI in 2023.
In 2014, Panettiere gave birth to daughter Kaya Klitschko with former fiancé and Ukrainian heavyweight boxer Wladimir Klitschko. Panettiere transferred full custody of the child to Klitschko in 2018 to undergo treatment for depression, anxiety, and substance abuse.
“I didn’t know where the alcoholism was ending and the postpartum was beginning. And I ran myself pretty ragged,” Panettiere stated in a 2022 interview.
Earlier this year, Panettiere released a memoir titled This is Me: A Reckoning, detailing her experiences with child stardom, postpartum depression, and addiction.
During a May appearance on the Jay Shetty podcast, Panettiere spoke about her daughter: “I will always want her here. I always miss her. I always want to have my arms wrapped around her, but that’s just not the way life is right at this moment … I have faith that she is going to come to me and that we’re going to have an incredible relationship and bond and friendship that a lot of parents don’t get to have with their kids.”
Panettiere is survived by her father Skip Panettiere, and her mother, former manager, Lesley Vogel. Her brother Jansen Panettiere died in 2023 at age 28 from cardiomegaly and aortic valve complications.
