American actress Hayden Panettiere – best known for her roles in the TV series Heroes and Nashville- has d!ed at the age of 36.
“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,” her father, Skip Panettiere, said in a statement.
Her father asked for privacy “as our family takes time to process this unimaginable loss.”
Further details surrounding the circumstances of her death were not immediately available. Her publicist, Kasey Kitchen, said Panettiere’s death was being investigated.
“There’s an investigation ongoing,” Kitchen said in a statement. “We should know more tomorrow.”
Police in Greenville, South Carolina, said in a statement that officers “accompanied by EMS personnel, responded to a report of an unresponsive female” at around 1:50 p.m. Sunday. “Upon arrival, medical assistance was administered; however, the individual, later identified as Hayden Panettiere, was pronounced deceased at the scene,” police said in a statement.
“The case is under investigation by the Greenville Police Department in conjunction with the Greenville County Coroner’s Office. The preliminary investigation has not indicated any signs of foul play or suspicious circumstances. An acquaintance of Ms. Panettiere placed the 911 call,” it said. The statement added that no further details were available for release at this time.
Panettiere revealed this year that she struggled with postpartum depression and addiction, which she said led to her decision to give up custody of her only child, daughter Kaya Evdokia Klitschko, in 2018, whom she had with former partner Wladimir Klitschko, the Ukrainian professional boxer.
Panettiere recently published a memoir, “This Is Me: A Reckoning,” which generated headlines over its revelations, including about her past relationships.
In 2024, she described pain and grief after her younger brother, actor Jansen Panettiere, died unexpectedly of an undiagnosed heart condition the previous year.
“When you lose somebody that you saw in all the important moments in your life, standing right next to you, it just rocks your world,” she told NBC’s “TODAY” show.
Hayden Panettiere was born and raised in Palisades, New York, about 40 miles north of New York City, according to her Television Academy bio.
Panettiere started working at 11 months old, when she appeared in television commercials, it said.
She appeared on soap operas, including “One Life to Live” and “Guiding Light,” beginning at age 4. Her voice was featured in “A Bug’s Life,” the animated feature, and she eventually appeared in big-screen stories, including “Remember the Titans” and “Bring It On: All or Nothing.”
Panettiere’s death comes less than a week before she would have turned 37 years old on Friday.
