Actress Hayden Panettiere, known for her roles in Heroes and Nashville, has died aged 36, her representative confirmed to abcnews.com on August 17. Further details surrounding her death were not immediately available.
In a statement, her father Skip Panettiere said the family was sharing news of her passing with profound sadness. He described her as an incredible light and a force of nature who brought love and joy to those who knew her and to millions who watched her on screen. He asked for privacy as the family processes the loss.
Panettiere began her career as a child actor before gaining prominence as Claire Bennet in the NBC series Heroes and as Juliette Barnes in the musical drama Nashville. Her film credits included Remember the Titans, Raising Helen, Ice Princess and Scream 4, reprising her role as Kirby Reed in the Scream franchise in March 2023.
She was open about personal struggles following early stardom. In May, she released a memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning, in which she discussed postpartum depression, addiction and recovery, trauma, domestic abuse and loss.
In a 2022 interview with Good Morning America, she said she had grappled with alcoholism and postpartum depression after Nashville, saying she did not know where one ended and the other began.
She is survived by her daughter, Kaya Klitschko, born in 2014, whom she shared with former fiance, former heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko.
Her brother, actor Jansen Panettiere, died in February 2023 aged 28 from cardiomegaly coupled with aortic valve complications. In an interview two years later, Panettiere said she would never get over his loss.
Panettiere would have turned 37 on Friday.
•Featured image: Hayden Panettiere on Tuesday, September 24, 2024/Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty Images