Hayden Panettiere, the actress who grew from a child performer into a television star on “Heroes” and “Nashville,” died Sunday at only 36 years old. Her representative confirmed the death, and her family said it was grieving an unimaginable loss. No cause of death has been announced as authorities have said the investigation remains underway.
Panettiere died in South Carolina just days before what would have been her 37th birthday on Friday. She was best known to many viewers as country singer Juliette Barnes on “Nashville,” while another generation remembers her as Claire Bennet, the seemingly indestructible cheerleader at the center of NBC’s “Heroes.” Her career also included major film roles in “Remember the Titans” and the “Scream” franchise.
Her father, Skip Panettiere, confirmed the tragic news in a family statement and asked for privacy while the family processes her death. He remembered his daughter as “an incredible light and a force of nature who brought immeasurable love and joy to all who knew her.” Panettiere is survived by her daughter, Kaya, and her parents.
The Associated Press reported that Panettiere was found unresponsive at an apartment complex in South Carolina. Emergency personnel attempted life-saving measures before she was pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities said a preliminary review found no signs of foul play or suspicious circumstances, and an autopsy remained pending.
Panettiere began appearing in commercials before she was a year old and moved into soap operas as a small child, including roles on “One Life to Live” and “Guiding Light.” At nine, she voiced Dot in Pixar’s “A Bug’s Life,” and two years later she appeared as football-loving Sheryl Yoast in “Remember the Titans.” Her breakout television role came in 2006, when she began playing Claire Bennet on “Heroes” and helped make the show’s “Save the cheerleader, save the world” line a fixture in popular culture.
Panettiere took on another defining role in 2012 as Juliette Barnes, the ambitious and troubled country star on “Nashville.” She performed her own songs for the musical drama, which ran for six seasons through 2018, and several of her recordings appeared on Billboard’s country chart. Her portrayal of Barnes earned her two Golden Globe nominations for best supporting actress.
Her film work included “Raising Helen,” “Ice Princess,” “I Love You, Beth Cooper,” “Scream 4,” and “Scream VI,” in which she returned as fan-favorite Kirby Reed. Panettiere later appeared in “Amber Alert” and the 2026 psychological thriller “Sleepwalker.” She also performed voice work in the “Kingdom Hearts” video-game series and portrayed Samantha Giddings in “Until Dawn.”
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Away from the screen, Panettiere spoke openly about postpartum depression, alcoholism, addiction, recovery, and the pressures she faced after entering show business as a child. She published her memoir, “This Is Me: A Reckoning,” in May, describing painful periods of her life and her attempts to rebuild. She had a daughter, Kaya, in 2014 with former fiancé and heavyweight boxing champion Wladimir Klitschko.
The actress had also endured the sudden death of her younger brother, Jansen Panettiere, in February 2023. Jansen, who was also an actor, was 28 when he died from complications involving an enlarged heart and an aortic-valve condition, according to a family statement issued at the time. Hayden Panettiere later said the loss left her permanently heartbroken.