Hayden Panettiere, best known for her roles in Heroes and Nashville, has died at the age of 36. Her father, Skip Panettiere, confirmed her death in a statement provided to ABC News on Sunday.
“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 said in the statement, according to ABC News and The Associated Press.
Read more - 10th-grade student turns coconut husk into a natural filter that can remove microplastics from seawater
Hayden Panettiere death reason
No cause of death has been announced. The Associated Press reported that a publicist for Panettiere did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Who was Hayden Panettiere?
Panettiere became a household name after being cast as Claire Bennet in NBC's superhero drama Heroes, which ran from 2006 to 2010.
Her character was a high-school cheerleader with extraordinary regenerative abilities, and the show's central phrase, “Save the cheerleader, save the world,” became closely associated with the series.
The role turned Panettiere into one of television's recognisable young stars and established her as a major presence on the small screen.
Nashville made Hayden Panettiere a television favourite
Panettiere went on to star as Juliette Barnes in the musical drama Nashville, which aired from 2012 to 2018.
Her performance earned her two Golden Globe nominations for Best Supporting Actress in a series, miniseries or television film.
The role allowed her to combine acting and music while portraying a fictional country singer whose career and personal life became central to the series.
Hayden Panettiere began acting as a child
Panettiere's career began when she was still an infant. She appeared in a commercial at just 11 months old before moving into television roles.
Her full-time acting career began in the 1990s. She played Sarah Roberts on the ABC soap opera One Life to Live and later appeared as Lizzie Spaulding on CBS' Guiding Light.
Her early work also included the animated film A Bug's Life, in which she voiced Dot. The performance earned her a Young Artist Award nomination and a Grammy nomination, making her one of the youngest Grammy nominees at the time.
From Remember the Titans to Scream VI
Panettiere built an extensive film and television career while continuing to work across different genres.
Her film credits included Remember the Titans, Dinosaur, Raising Helen, Racing Stripes, Ice Princess and Bring It On: All or Nothing.
She later appeared in Scream 4 and returned as Kirby Reed in Scream VI, reconnecting with a character she had first played in the horror franchise.
Her other credits included I Love You, Beth Cooper, Amanda Knox: Murder on Trial in Italy and Custody.
Panettiere also became a video game voice actor
Beyond film and television, Panettiere lent her voice to several major video game projects.
She voiced Kairi and Xion in the Kingdom Hearts franchise and played Samantha “Sam” Giddings in the survival horror game Until Dawn.
Her career therefore stretched across television dramas, films, animation and video games over several decades.
Hayden Panettiere spoke openly about personal struggles
Panettiere had publicly discussed her struggles with alcohol addiction, depression and postpartum depression following the birth of her daughter in 2014.
She addressed several deeply personal experiences in her 2026 memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning.
In the book, she wrote about her decision to give full custody of her daughter to her former partner, boxer Wladimir Klitschko.
Inputs from agencies
