Hayden Panettiere Has Died at 36. Her Father Confirmed the News Sunday.
Actress Hayden Panettiere died at 36, her father confirmed in a statement to ABC News on Sunday. "It is with profound sadness that we share the tragic passing of our beloved Hayden," Skip Panettiere said. "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." He asked for privacy "as our family takes time to process this unimaginable loss."
The Greenville County Coroner's Office said in a statement Monday that first responders answered a 911 call at a residence in Greenville, South Carolina, on Sunday and found Panettiere unresponsive and in cardiac arrest. Her representative said an investigation into her death is ongoing; The Hollywood Reporter, citing TMZ, reported an autopsy was scheduled for Monday. No cause of death has been released.
Panettiere began working as a child actor before her first birthday, appearing in commercials and later soap operas "One Life to Live" and "Guiding Light." She voiced Dot in Pixar's "A Bug's Life" and appeared alongside Denzel Washington in 2000's "Remember the Titans." She became internationally known in 2006 as cheerleader Claire Bennet on "Heroes," then earned two Golden Globe nominations playing country singer Juliette Barnes on "Nashville." Her film credits also include "Ice Princess" and the "Scream" franchise, including 2023's "Scream VI."
Panettiere dated Ukrainian former heavyweight boxing champion Wladimir Klitschko on and off from 2009 to 2018. The couple got engaged in 2013 and had a daughter, Kaya, in December 2014; Klitschko was granted full custody after their 2018 split. Panettiere spoke publicly in past interviews about staying connected to Kaya and Klitschko as the family navigated Russia's invasion of Ukraine, telling People in 2022 that hearing her daughter's father's voice amid his time fighting was "a relief."
She published a memoir, "This Is Me: A Reckoning," this past May. Panettiere would have turned 37 on August 21.
