Hayden Panettiere, the American actress known for her performances in the series “Heroes” and “Nashville,” has died at the age of 36.
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She was found unconscious and in cardiac arrest on Sunday at a residence in Greenville, South Carolina, where she had been staying temporarily. The news was announced by the Greenville County Coroner’s Office.
Emergency services arrived after a 911 call reporting a cardiac arrest. Despite doctors’ efforts to revive her, the actress was pronounced dead approximately 30 minutes after the call.
An autopsy conducted on Monday found no trauma that could have contributed to her death. The final cause and manner of death will be determined after additional tests are completed, while no official cause has been released so far.
Greenville police said the 911 call had been made by an acquaintance of Panettiere, without providing further details about the person’s identity.
“It is with profound sadness that we share the tragic news of the passing of our beloved Hayden. She was an extraordinary light and a force of nature who brought immense love and joy to everyone who knew her — and to the millions of people who watched her on screen,” her father, Skip Panettiere, said through the actress’s representative.
Born on August 21, 1989, in Palisades, New York, Panettiere began her career at 11 months old, when she appeared in commercials.
Between 1996 and 2000, she played Lizzie Spaulding on CBS’s soap opera “Guiding Light.” The actress later appeared in a large number of films and television series.
During the 2000s, her name became increasingly well known. She starred alongside Denzel Washington in the 2000 film “Remember the Titans,” and later appeared in “Ice Princess,” “Bring It On: All or Nothing” and “I Love You Beth Cooper.”
She achieved international fame with her role as Claire Bennet in NBC’s series “Heroes.” The character was a cheerleader with healing abilities, while the series aired from 2006 to 2010.
In 2011, she played Kirby Reed in “Scream 4” and returned to the same role several years later in “Scream VI.”
Panettiere was also part of the musical drama series “Nashville,” in which she portrayed Juliette Barnes and starred alongside Connie Britton from 2012 to 2018.
After a long period of success in television and film, the actress appeared in public less frequently. She spoke openly about the difficulties she had experienced with addiction and mental health.
Earlier this year, Panettiere published her memoir, “This Is Me A Reckoning.” In the book, she recounted her experience as a child star, postpartum depression, addiction, the recovery process and domestic violence.
The actress had also publicly discussed the decision to transfer custody of her daughter, Kaya, to her former partner, former Ukrainian professional boxer Wladimir Klitschko. According to her, she was struggling with substance abuse at the time.
Panettiere had only one child, her 11-year-old daughter, Kaya.
In 2023, she lost her brother, actor Jansen Panettiere. He died at the age of 28 due to an enlarged heart accompanied by complications involving the aortic valve.
She had spoken about the pain of this loss and her close relationship with her brother. “There was nothing in my life that made me feel the way losing half of myself did,” she said in an interview that year.
In recent years, the actress had returned to the screen. Her latest projects included the films “Amber Alert,” released in 2024, and “Sleepwalker,” in 2026.
SAG-AFTRA expressed its condolences over “the sudden death of Hayden Panettiere,” praising her long career in television and film.
In addition to acting and singing, Panettiere was known for her advocacy on mental health issues, animal protection and environmental concerns.
After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, she publicly supported Ukraine and established a fund to provide medical supplies and protective equipment to Ukrainians.
News of her death prompted reactions from friends, colleagues and fans. Bethany Joy Lenz, who had acted with her on “Guiding Light,” described the news as unbelievable and said that Panettiere was still very young because she “had so much life” left to live.
