Hayden Panettiere, the American actress who rose from childhood stardom to prominent roles in NBC’s Heroes, ABC’s Nashville and the Scream film franchise, has died at age 36, her family confirmed 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,” her father, Skip Panettiere, said in a statement. “We ask for privacy as our family takes time to process this unimaginable loss.”
Further details surrounding her death were not immediately available. Her representative said an investigation was ongoing.
From Child Performer to Television Star
Born Aug. 21, 1989, Panettiere was raised in Palisades, New York. Her mother, Lesley R. Vogel, was an actress and producer who managed her daughter’s career. Her father, Alan Lee “Skip” Panettiere, was a retired New York City Fire Department captain.
Panettiere began appearing in commercials before her first birthday and later secured roles on the daytime television dramas One Life to Live and Guiding Light. Her early credits also included Malcolm in the Middle, The Object of My Affection, A Bug’s Life and Message in a Bottle.
“My introduction to acting was actually at 11 months old,” she told Entertainment Tonight in 2023. “Playskool Toy Train was my first commercial, but, I don’t know if that would really be an introduction to acting, because I don’t think acting was involved at that point. I didn’t have lines, I was just playing.”
Panettiere later described portraying Sheryl Yoast in the 2000 football drama Remember the Titans as one of the happiest experiences of her career.
“This movie was my favorite movie to film; what an incredible time in my life,” she said. “That’s just pure me that look. That is like from, oh my gosh — I mean, I was 10 years old. I had such cute boys around me, I was surrounded by the cutest boys. Kate Bosworth was like my big sister, was close to everyone. … I mean, you have no idea how many times in my life I have wished and prayed — if I had wished to go back to any time in my life, it would be going back to Remember the Titans.”
Breakthrough Roles in ‘Heroes’ and ‘Nashville’
Panettiere achieved her breakthrough in 2006 as Claire Bennet, a high school cheerleader with regenerative powers, on NBC’s science-fiction drama Heroes. She remained with the series throughout its four-season run.
Her profile grew further when she portrayed country singer Juliette Barnes on Nashville from 2012 to 2018. The role earned her nominations from the Golden Globes, Critics Choice Television Awards, Teen Choice Awards and People’s Choice Awards.
The character’s storylines, including struggles with postpartum depression and alcohol, eventually reflected challenges Panettiere experienced in her own life.
She also portrayed Kirby Reed in Scream 4 in 2011 and returned to the role in Scream VI in 2023. Her other film credits included I Love You, Beth Cooper, while she played the title character in the 2011 Lifetime television movie Amanda Knox.
Memoir Addressed Fame, Addiction and Motherhood
In May, Panettiere published a candid memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning, examining her childhood in the entertainment industry, addiction, postpartum depression and other personal experiences.
“I was fiercely protective of people in my writing,” she said. “I felt very strongly about my ability to tell my stories and make them entertaining enough to put in a book, without having to drag people through the mud. I had members of my team that I would bounce ideas off of, or ask their opinions about things like that I was writing.”
She added: “I mean, my publicist is also my dear friend and I trust her, so I leaned on her to know. And then I made sure that Vlad [Klitschko, Panettiere’s ex-fiancé and father of her daughter] wasn’t going to be upset with me. But other than that, I just had to speak my truth — and it’s mine alone.”
Panettiere had an on-and-off relationship with Ukrainian heavyweight boxing champion Wladimir Klitschko between 2009 and 2018. They welcomed their daughter, Kaya, in 2014.
Her younger brother, actor Jansen Panettiere, died in February 2023 at age 28 from complications involving an enlarged heart and an aortic valve condition.
Panettiere leaves behind a career spanning more than three decades, from childhood commercials and family films to acclaimed performances in network television and major Hollywood productions.
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