US actress Hayden Panettiere, best known for her prominent roles in hit television series Heroes and Nashville, has died at the age of 36.
Panettiere’s father, Skip, confirmed the news in a statement provided to ABC News on Sunday.
“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,” his statement said.
Emergency Medical Services and first responders were dispatched to a property in Greenville, South Carolina, shortly before 2:00 pm on Sunday following a 911 call, according to Page Six.
According to a statement from the Greenville County Coroner’s Office to Page Six, first responders arrived at approximately 1:51 pm to treat a female found in cardiac arrest.
Resuscitation efforts were unsuccessful, and Panettiere was pronounced dead at 2:32 pm.
Emergency dispatch audio reported by media outlets indicated first responders were called to address a suspected overdose; however, authorities have not confirmed an official cause of death.
The Greenville County Coroner’s Office confirmed that an autopsy revealed no signs of physical trauma that contributed to her passing, with the investigation into the circumstances active and ongoing.
Panettiere began her screen career as a child actor in 1996. Her early work included soap operas, voicing Dot in Pixar’s A Bug’s Life, and a standout role in the film Remember the Titans alongside Denzel Washington.
She achieved international stardom in 2006 playing Claire Bennet, a high school cheerleader with regenerative powers, in the sci-fi drama Heroes.
She later earned two Golden Globe nominations for her performance as country music star Juliette Barnes in Nashville. Her most recent screen appearance was in the thriller Sleepwalker, released in early 2026.
Throughout her career, Panettiere spoke candidly about her personal struggles with depression and alcohol addiction, particularly following the birth of her daughter, Kaya, in 2014.
In her 2026 memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning, she reflected on her decision to hand full custody of her daughter to her former partner, retired Ukrainian boxer Wladimir Klitschko, amidst her ongoing recovery.
Speaking on Red Table Talk in 2022, Panettiere described the custody arrangement as “the worst signing those papers and like the most heartbreaking thing I’ve ever, ever had to do in my life.”
“The papers were to give him full custody and I was gonna go work on myself and I was gonna get better. And when I got better, then things could change and she could come to me and I could have my time with her. But that didn’t happen,” she said.
Panettiere was also deeply affected by the loss of her younger brother, Jansen, who died unexpectedly in 2023 at age 28 from an undiagnosed heart condition.
Following public concern over her appearance in an interview the following year, she addressed critics directly on social media, clarifying that her exhaustion was due to grief.
“Grief looks different on everyone,” she wrote at the time. “Whether or not I am on medication is none of anyone’s business and is between me and my doctor.”
Panettiere is survived by her 11-year-old daughter, Kaya.
Image: Featureflash Photo Agency / Shutterstock.com
