Hayden Panettiere, the American actress best known for film and TV roles on series such as Nashville and Heroes, has passed away at the age of 36.
Panettiere’s passed was confirmed in a statement from her father, Skip, who announced that, "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," he added, going on to request privacy as the family “takes time to process this unimaginable loss."
Born in 1989, Panettiere began acting before the age of one, appearing in television commercials before receiving a recurring role on the soap One Life To Live from 1994 until 1997.
Roles in films such as A Bug's Life, Remember The Titans, and Raising Helen followed, as did recurring roles on series such as Guiding Light, Ally McBeal, and Malcolm In The Middle.
In 2006, Panettiere took on a main role of Claire Bennet in the superhero drama Heroes, which lasted until 2010. In 2012, she embarked upon her longest-lasting role, taking on the starring role of Juliette Barnes, the teen sensation turned country pop singer in Nashville.
Nashville would ultimately run for a total of 124 episodes before its completion in July 2018, with Panettiere appearing in all but 12 episodes.
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Panettiere was also in a longtime relationship with Ukrainian former boxer Wladimir Klitschko, with whom she had one daughter. She had previously discussed the heartbreak involved in relinquishing custody of her daughter to Klitschko as she focused on recovering from numerous afflictions, including addiction and mental health issues such as postpartum depression.
In May of this year, Panettiere also released her memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning, in which she relayed the ups and downs of her life, including her award-winning career and myriad roles, and her experiences with domestic abuse, and the passing of her younger brother in 2023.
As The Hollywood Reporter notes, Panettiere’s memoir also saw her discussing the difficulty surrounding her own struggles, and how her character of Juliette in Nashville began to mimic the same experiences she had previously lived through.
