Hayden Panettiere, the child star who rose to international stardom through her roles in Heroes and Nashville, has died at 36.
Panettiere died Sunday in South Carolina. Her father, Skip Panettiere, announced the death in a statement, asking for privacy “as our family takes time to process this unimaginable loss.” Police in Greenville said officers and emergency medical services responded to a report of an unresponsive female Sunday afternoon and pronounced her dead at the scene, according to ABC News.
Authorities said the preliminary investigation has not indicated any signs of foul play or suspicious circumstances, and the cause of death has not been released.
Panettiere began acting as a child and landed roles in Disney’s Remember the Titans and A Bug’s Life. She also starred in Bring It On Again: All or Nothing and the Scream franchise before breaking out as cheerleader Claire Bennet in NBC’s Heroes. She went on to star as country singer Juliette Barnes in ABC’s Nashville, a role that further cemented her as one of Hollywood’s most recognizable young stars.
Hayden Panettiere attends the world premiere of “Scream VI” at AMC Lincoln Square on Monday, March 6, 2023, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)
" data-large-file="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/AP23066174190934.jpg?w=696" height="680" width="1024" src="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/AP23066174190934.jpg?w=696" alt="Hayden Panettiere attends the world premiere of "Scream VI" at AMC Lincoln Square on Monday, March 6, 2023, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)" class="wp-image-4689805" style="width:515px;height:auto" srcset="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/AP23066174190934.jpg 3250w, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/AP23066174190934.jpg?resize=300,199 300w, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/AP23066174190934.jpg?resize=768,510 768w, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/AP23066174190934.jpg?resize=1024,680 1024w, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/AP23066174190934.jpg?resize=1536,1019 1536w, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/AP23066174190934.jpg?resize=2048,1359 2048w, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/AP23066174190934.jpg?resize=150,100 150w, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/AP23066174190934.jpg?resize=696,462 696w, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/AP23066174190934.jpg?resize=1068,709 1068w, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/AP23066174190934.jpg?resize=1920,1274 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px">
Hayden Panettiere attends the world premiere of Scream VI at AMC Lincoln Square on Monday, March 6, 2023, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)
In recent years, Panettiere has openly spoken about the personal struggles that followed the birth of her daughter, Kaya, in 2014 with then-fiance Wladimir Klitschko. She revealed she battled postpartum depression and addiction, struggles she said led to her decision to give up custody of her daughter in 2018.
FILE – Hayden Panettiere, star of “The Amanda Knox Story,” is pictured with Marcia Gay Harden during the A&E Networks Television Critics Association winter press tour in Pasadena, Calif., on Jan. 7, 2011. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File)
" data-large-file="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/AP26229521339931.jpg?w=696" height="755" width="1024" src="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/AP26229521339931.jpg?w=696" alt="FILE - Hayden Panettiere, star of "The Amanda Knox Story," is pictured with Marcia Gay Harden during the A&E Networks Television Critics Association winter press tour in Pasadena, Calif., on Jan. 7, 2011. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File)" class="wp-image-4689808" style="width:515px;height:auto" srcset="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/AP26229521339931.jpg 3736w, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/AP26229521339931.jpg?resize=300,221 300w, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/AP26229521339931.jpg?resize=768,567 768w, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/AP26229521339931.jpg?resize=1024,755 1024w, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/AP26229521339931.jpg?resize=1536,1133 1536w, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/AP26229521339931.jpg?resize=2048,1511 2048w, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/AP26229521339931.jpg?resize=150,111 150w, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/AP26229521339931.jpg?resize=696,513 696w, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/AP26229521339931.jpg?resize=1068,788 1068w, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/AP26229521339931.jpg?resize=1920,1416 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px">
Hayden Panettiere, star of The Amanda Knox Story, is pictured with Marcia Gay Harden during the A&E Networks Television Critics Association winter press tour on Jan. 7, 2011, in Pasadena, California. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
She continued discussing her recovery publicly in the years that followed, including in a memoir released this year, This Is Me: A Reckoning, in which she reflected on her childhood fame, motherhood, and mental health.
Hayden Panettiere arrives at the premiere of “Blonde,” Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2022, at TCL Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)
" data-large-file="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/AP22259140203445.jpg?w=696" height="640" width="1024" src="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/AP22259140203445.jpg?w=696" alt="Hayden Panettiere arrives at the premiere of "Blonde," Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2022, at TCL Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)" class="wp-image-4689812" style="width:525px;height:auto" srcset="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/AP22259140203445.jpg 3382w, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/AP22259140203445.jpg?resize=300,188 300w, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/AP22259140203445.jpg?resize=768,480 768w, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/AP22259140203445.jpg?resize=1024,640 1024w, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/AP22259140203445.jpg?resize=1536,961 1536w, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/AP22259140203445.jpg?resize=2048,1281 2048w, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/AP22259140203445.jpg?resize=150,94 150w, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/AP22259140203445.jpg?resize=696,435 696w, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/AP22259140203445.jpg?resize=1068,668 1068w, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/AP22259140203445.jpg?resize=1920,1201 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px">
Hayden Panettiere arrives at the premiere of “Blonde,” Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2022, at TCL Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)
Panettiere also carried the grief of losing her younger brother, Jansen Panettiere, who died in 2023 at age 28 from cardiomegaly. She told People two years after his death that she would “never be able to get over” the loss.
Panettiere would have turned 37 on Friday.
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[ H/T Washington Examiner ]
