Hayden Panettiere, ‘Heroes’ and ‘Nashville’ Star, Dies at 36
Hayden Panettiere, the actress who rose to fame as the indestructible cheerleader Claire Bennet in NBC’s “Heroes” and later earned two Golden Globe nominations for her role in the musical drama “Nashville,” has died. She was 36.
Police found Panettiere unresponsive in an apartment in Greenville, South Carolina, shortly before 2 p.m. Sunday. Lifesaving measures were performed, but she was pronounced dead at the scene, according to AP News. No cause of death has been determined, and an autopsy found no signs of trauma, with police reporting no signs of foul play.
A Career That Began in Infancy
Born August 21, 1989, in Palisades, New York, Panettiere began acting in commercials at just 11 months old. She was a veteran of soap operas by the time she was a teenager, appearing on “One Life to Live” and “Guiding Light,” where her co-star Beth Chamberlin described her as “the most brilliant child actor I’ve ever seen.”
Her breakout role came in 2006 when she was cast as Claire Bennet in “Heroes,” a series built around the mantra “Save the cheerleader, save the world.” The show’s first season regularly drew more than 14 million viewers and earned Panettiere three Teen Choice Awards.
She later starred as Juliette Barnes in “Nashville” from 2012 to 2018, doing her own singing and landing 11 songs on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs charts. Her film credits included “Remember the Titans,” “A Bug’s Life,” the “Scream” franchise, and her final role in the 2026 psychological thriller “Sleepwalker.”
A Public Battle With Addiction and Depression
Panettiere was remarkably open about her personal struggles, which she detailed extensively in her memoir “This Is Me: A Reckoning,” published just three months before her death.
“I was in a horrible cycle for years of battling depression and anxiety and alcoholism and substance abuse while just trying to find my way back, my way out of the darkness,” she said in a May interview with podcaster Jay Shetty. She entered rehab in 2015 while filming “Nashville.”
Her daughter Kaya, now 11, began living with her former partner, Ukrainian boxing champion Wladimir Klitschko, full-time in Ukraine when she was 2 years old. In her memoir, Panettiere wrote about the painful decision and the misconceptions surrounding it.
“I think there’s been this very common misconception that I just gave up my child,” she said on the podcast. “That could not be farther from the truth.”
Tributes From Co-Stars and Friends
Klitschko, who shared a daughter with Panettiere, posted an emotional tribute on social media, saying the family is going through “profound shock and grief.”
“She built an incredible career through immense talent, while also facing the darker sides of a very demanding industry,” he wrote, according to BBC News. “Nothing will erase the times we shared or the place she had in our lives. To our daughter Kaya, I will always speak of her mother with respect and make sure she remembers the person she was.”
Her father, Skip Panettiere, released a statement saying: “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.”
Tributes poured in from across Hollywood. Connie Britton, her “Nashville” co-star, wrote: “Bursting with brilliance, shining so bright. I have no words for this sad song. Just heartbreak.” Viola Davis, who worked with Panettiere on the 2016 film “Custody,” called her “an old, wise soul with such a deep heart,” according to AP News.
Selma Blair wrote simply: “I love you. Don’t be gone. Don’t be gone. Please. Please.”
Investigation Ongoing
The Greenville County Coroner’s Office confirmed crews treated Panettiere for cardiac arrest. Police said an acquaintance placed the 911 call, and dispatcher audio referenced efforts to resuscitate the woman after a possible overdose.
According to a police incident report obtained by NBC News, Panettiere’s on-again, off-again boyfriend Brian Hickerson and his brother were at the scene. Hickerson showed police a “bag of medication” that Panettiere was taking at the time of her death.
The death remains under investigation. Panettiere would have turned 37 on Friday.
A Legacy of Resilience
Panettiere’s life was marked by both extraordinary success and profound personal tragedy. Her younger brother Jansen, also an actor, died in February 2023 at age 28 from heart complications. She also became a passionate advocate for whale and dolphin conservation, traveling to Taiji, Japan, at age 18 to protest dolphin hunting — actions featured in the Oscar-winning documentary “The Cove.” In 2022, she founded Hoplon International to supply medical kits and body armor to Ukraine during the Russian invasion.
In her memoir, Panettiere described herself as an “optimist to the core” who refused to be defined by tragedy.
“One thing I know from my 36 years in the public eye is this: Life is a process that evolves day by day, year by year and — like it or not — you are engaged in a cycle of growth until the moment you take your last breath,” she wrote.
Justin Chatwin, her co-star in “Sleepwalker,” told USA Today that Panettiere seemed “really lonely” during filming of her final movie. “I’ve been sober for 15 years, so I know this world of addiction, and Hollywood — it takes, and it takes from youth,” he said.
Panettiere is survived by her daughter Kaya, her father Skip, and her many fans around the world who watched her grow up on screen.