Daijiworld Media Network - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, Aug 17: American actress and singer Hayden Panettiere, best known for her roles in the television series Heroes and Nashville, has died at the age of 36. Her death was confirmed by her representative and father, Alan "Skip" Panettiere. The cause of death has not been disclosed.
Panettiere was born on Aug 21, 1989, in Palisades, New York, and began her career as a child actor. She appeared in her first commercial for a Playskool toy train at just 11 months old and went on to appear in television soap operas including One Life to Live and Guiding Light.
Her performance as Lizzie Spaulding in Guiding Light, where her character was diagnosed with leukemia, brought considerable attention to the actress. The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society later honoured her with a Special Recognition Award for helping raise awareness of the disease among young viewers.
Panettiere made her film debut in The Object of My Affection in 1998 and that same year voiced Princess Dot in Pixar's animated film A Bug's Life. Her performance earned her a Grammy nomination for Best Spoken Word Album for Children, making her one of the youngest Grammy nominees at the time.
She subsequently built an impressive résumé as a child performer, appearing in films and television productions including Message in a Bottle, If You Believe, Dinosaur, Remember the Titans, Ally McBeal, Normal and Malcolm in the Middle.
Her breakthrough came in 2006 when she was cast as Claire Bennet, a high school cheerleader with regenerative powers, in NBC's science-fiction series Heroes. The role made her an international star and remains one of her most recognised performances. Panettiere appeared as a main cast member throughout the show's 2006-2010 run and later appeared in archive footage for Heroes Reborn.
During the same period, she became a prominent commercial and modelling figure, working with brands including Neutrogena, Candie's and Dooney & Bourke.
Panettiere continued her film career with appearances in I Love You, Beth Cooper, Amanda Knox: Murder on Trial in Italy, Scream 4, Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil, Custody and Scream VI. She reprised her role as Kirby Reed in Scream VI in 2023, marking her return to the big screen after several years away. Her final role was in the 2026 psychological thriller Sleepwalker.
In 2012, Panettiere took on another defining role as country singer Juliette Barnes in ABC's musical drama Nashville. The series ran for six seasons, moving to CMT for its final two seasons, and earned Panettiere two Golden Globe nominations for Best Supporting Actress.
The show also allowed her to develop her career as a singer. She recorded numerous songs for the Nashville soundtrack, including "Telescope", which reached the country music charts. She also performed a much-publicised version of "Crazy" with Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler in 2015.
Beyond television and film, Panettiere was also known to video game audiences for voicing Kairi in the Kingdom Hearts series. She later voiced and provided the physical performance for Samantha "Sam" Giddings in the PlayStation game Until Dawn, reprising the character for its 2024 remake.
Panettiere also used her public profile for several causes. She supported Ronald McDonald House Charities and became involved in campaigns against commercial whaling and dolphin hunting. She participated in protests in Japan and later appeared in the documentary The Cove, which won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.
She also advocated for Washington, D.C. statehood and served as a teen ambassador for the Candie's Foundation, which works on preventing teenage pregnancy.
Her personal life also attracted considerable media attention. She dated her Heroes co-star Milo Ventimiglia before beginning a relationship with former world heavyweight boxing champion Wladimir Klitschko. The couple became engaged in 2013 and welcomed their daughter, Kaya, in December 2014.
Panettiere openly discussed her experience with postpartum depression following her daughter's birth and later spoke about her struggles with addiction and recovery. In 2018, she agreed to give Klitschko full custody of their daughter while she focused on her recovery. She continued to maintain a relationship with her daughter.
Her relationship with Brian Hickerson ended in 2020 after he was arrested and charged with felony assault and witness intimidation in connection with alleged incidents involving Panettiere.
In 2026, Panettiere published her memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning, in which she reflected on her childhood in the entertainment industry, her struggles with mental health and addiction, her relationships and the challenges of growing up in the public eye.
Panettiere's younger brother, actor Jansen Panettiere, died in 2023 at the age of 28 from complications related to an enlarged heart.
Panettiere is survived by her parents and her daughter. Her death, just days before her 37th birthday, has prompted tributes from fans and colleagues who remembered her for a career that began before she could speak and went on to include some of American television's most recognisable dramas.