Hayden Panettiere, actress in ‘Heroes’ and ‘Nashville,’ dies at 36

By Karina Tsui, Alex Stambaugh, CNN

(CNN) — Actress Hayden Panettiere has died, her representative confirmed to CNN. She was 36 years old.

“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 shared by her representative with CNN.

The circumstances surrounding her death are unknown. ABC was the first to report the news.

Panettiere was known for her role in the late-aughts television series “Heroes,” in which she played self-healing cheerleader Claire Bennet, and “Nashville,” in which she played young country music star Juliette Barnes.

She was also featured in 2011’s “Scream 4” as Kirby Reed, returning to the horror franchise years later in the sixth installment, and had notable roles in the films “I Love You Beth Cooper” and “Remember the Titans.”

She had spoken openly about her struggles with addiction, and released a candid memoir earlier this year titled “This Is Me: A Reckoning,” reflecting on her life growing up from a child star to confronting postpartum depression, addiction, recovery and domestic abuse.

“I could relate to a lot of those storylines like the alcoholism and postpartum depression. They hit close to home,” she told People Magazine in 2022.

Panettiere told the magazine that, at one point, she was hospitalized with jaundice and doctors told her that her liver was “going to give out.”

Panettiere shares a 11-year-old daughter, Kaya, with her ex, Wladimir Klitschko, a Ukrainian former professional boxer.

In 2022, she opened up in an episode of “Red Table Talk” about the “very upsetting” experience of relinquishing custody of her daughter to Klitschko. Panettiere had previously said she was struggling with substance misuse at the time of that decision in 2018 and the issue wasn’t up for “discussion.”

“It was the hardest thing I could do,” she recalled. “But the best thing for my daughter was to make sure she was okay, take care of myself and make sure I could be a good mom to her. And sometimes that means letting go.”

Panettiere had also spoken about the loss of her brother, Jansen Panettiere, an established voice-over actor, who passed away in 2023 at the age of 28.

“There was nothing in my life that feels like losing my other half,” she told Jay Shetty in an interview earlier this year. “We were so close and being the older sibling – who it’s your job to protect them and keep them safe – and not being able to, heartbreaking doesn’t even begin to cover it.”

Beyond acting and singing, Panettiere had also been known for her advocacy work, supporting mental health awareness, animal rights and environmental issues.

She was honored by officials in Washington, DC, for her advocacy for DC voting rights and statehood, with the mayor proclaiming a “Hayden Panettiere Day” on Sept. 16, 2011.

She had also been an advocate for Ukraine following Russia’s invasion, expressing her support for the Ukrainian people and launching a relief fund in 2022 to raise funding for medical supplies and protective gear for Ukrainians.

Panettiere told CNN she could not “continue to sit on the sidelines” and watch people suffer in the country where she has friends and family. Klitschko’s brother, Vitali Klitschko, is the mayor of Kyiv.

This story has been updated with additional information.

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CNN’s Dan Heching and Diego Mendoza contributed to this report.