American actress Hayden Panettiere has passed away, aged 36.
The news of the Heroes and Nashville star’s passing was reportedly confirmed in a statement to ABC News US by her father, Skip Panettiere.
“It is with profound sadness that we share the tragic passing of our beloved Hayden,” the statement read.
“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.”
Panettiere’s cause of death has not been made public at the time of writing, with her father requesting privacy “as our family takes time to process this unimaginable loss”.
In May this year, Panettiere released a memoir entitled This Is Me: A Reckoning.
In the intimate memoir, she reflected on her difficult experience as child actor in Hollywood, her struggles with addiction, domestic abuse, postpartum depression and the devastating experience of losing her brother, Janson, in 2023.
Panettiere began her career on screen when she was only 11 months old appearing in commercials. From there, she continued to act in commercials and television, but her first major film role which was when she was 10 years old in Remember The Titans.
In 2004 she starred alongside Kate Hudson and John Corbett in Raising Helen, and in 2005 she starred in the kid’s hit film Racing Stripes.
However, it wasn’t until 2006 that she landed her breakout role as super cheerleader Claire Bennet on the sci-fi series Heroes which she played until 2010.
In 2012, she returned to our screens as the talented Juliette Barnes in Nashville, putting her musical ability and prowess to good use.
Panettiere is survived by her 11-year-old daughter, Kaya Klitschko (whom she had with her ex-fiancé Wladimir Klitschko), and her parents Skip Panettiere and Lesley Vogel.
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