‘Heroes’, ‘Nashville’ Actress Hayden Panettiere Dies Less Than A Week Before 37th Birthday | Sahara Reporters

Panettiere had spoken publicly about difficulties she experienced during her life, including alcoholism and postpartum depression.

Actress Hayden Panettiere, who rose to fame as a child and later starred in the television series Heroes and Nashville, has died at the age of 36.

Her representative confirmed her death, while details surrounding the circumstances of her death were not immediately available. Her father, Skip Panettiere, also confirmed the death in a statement and asked for privacy as the family mourns, ABC News reported.

“It is with profound sadness that we share the tragic passing of our beloved Hayden,” her father said.

He described her as someone who brought love and joy to her family, friends and millions of people who watched her work.

Panettiere began her acting career as a child and went on to establish herself in television and film. She became widely known for playing Claire Bennet in Heroes and Juliette Barnes in Nashville.

She also appeared in films including Remember the Titans, Raising Helen, Ice Princess and Scream 4. She later returned to the Scream franchise as Kirby Reed, reprising the role in the 2023 film.

Panettiere had spoken publicly about difficulties she experienced during her life, including alcoholism and postpartum depression.

In a 2022 interview with Good Morning America, she discussed her struggles and said she had needed a break after difficult years in her personal and professional life.

She released her memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning, in May 2026. The memoir addressed issues including postpartum depression, addiction and recovery, trauma, domestic abuse and loss.

Panettiere was the mother of one daughter, Kaya Klitschko, whom she had in 2014 with her former fiancé, heavyweight boxing champion Wladimir Klitschko.

Her death also comes more than three years after the death of her younger brother, Jansen Panettiere, who died in February 2023 at the age of 28.

His family said at the time that his death was caused by cardiomegaly, an enlarged heart, together with complications involving the aortic valve.

Panettiere had spoken about her brother’s death in subsequent interviews, saying she continued to grieve his loss. Her death occurred less than a week before her 37th birthday, which would have been on Friday.