Actress Hayden Panettiere, Star of ‘Heroes’ and ‘Nashville,’ Dead at 36

Hayden Panettiere, the television and film actress who became a household name through her starring roles in “Heroes” and “Nashville,” has died at 36. Police in Greenville, South Carolina, discovered her unresponsive in an apartment shortly before 2 p.m. Sunday, and despite resuscitation efforts, she was pronounced dead at the scene.

Authorities have found no indication of foul play or signs of trauma in connection with Panettiere’s death, which remains under investigation pending autopsy results. The actress would have celebrated her 37th birthday on Friday.

Her father, Skip Panettiere, a former New York City fire captain, released a statement through ABC expressing his family’s grief. “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 said.

Panettiere rose to prominence in 2006 when she portrayed cheerleader Claire Bennet in the sci-fi phenomenon “Heroes,” a role that earned her three Teen Choice Awards. She later gained critical acclaim as a country music upstart on ABC’s “Nashville,” which earned her two supporting actress Golden Globe nominations and produced 11 charting songs on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs list.

The actress had been candid about her personal struggles with depression, anxiety, and alcohol addiction. In her May-published memoir “This Is Me,” she detailed her experiences with mental health challenges and acknowledged entering treatment in 2015 while filming “Nashville.”

Panettiere began her entertainment career as a child actor, appearing in commercials and soap operas, including a long-running role on “Guiding Light.” She also voiced characters in Disney animated films and was nominated for a Grammy for narrating a children’s spoken word album.

Her personal life included the birth of her daughter Kaya in 2014 with Ukrainian boxer Wladimir Klitschko. The actress explained in interviews that her child had been living with Klitschko in Ukraine since age 2 as she worked to address her mental health challenges.

Panettiere’s life was marked by significant hardship, including the 2023 death of her younger brother Jansen, also an actor, who died of a heart condition at 28. She had also publicly addressed complicated family relationships and a tumultuous romantic relationship with actor Brian Hickerson.