“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.”
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Actress Hayden Panettiere, known for her roles in Heroes, Nashville, Remember the Titans and the Scream franchise, has died at the age of 36. No cause of death has been publicly announced.
A representative for the actress told ABC News, “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.”
Panettiere began working in entertainment as a child, appearing in commercials before landing roles on the soap operas One Life to Live and Guiding Light. Her breakout television role came in 2000 alongside Denzel Washington in the football drama Remember the Titans, playing Sheryl Yoast, the football-obsessed daughter of assistant coach Bill Yoast. The film became one of the most recognizable roles of her early career.
In 2006, she was cast as Claire Bennet, the seemingly indestructible cheerleader at the center of NBC’s hit superhero series Heroes. She later starred opposite Connie Britton in Nashville, portraying troubled country music star Juliette Barnes from 2012 to 2018 and earning two Golden Globe nominations. Panettiere also became a fan favorite in the Scream franchise as Kirby Reed, first appearing in Scream 4 before returning to the character more than a decade later in Scream VI.
Just months before her death, Panettiere released her memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning, on May 19. The book detailed her experiences growing up in Hollywood as well as addiction, alcoholism, domestic abuse, trauma and recovery. Among the memoir’s most disturbing revelations, Panettiere recounted being 18 years old when someone she trusted brought her aboard a boat and led her into a room where a “very famous” man was waiting undressed. Panettiere said she had not been told what was going to happen and described realizing that she was in danger and trying to get away from the situation, but did not publicly identify the man.
The actress also detailed a years-long struggle with alcohol and substance addiction. Panettiere wrote that her problems began when she was young and intensified as she dealt with fame, personal trauma and turmoil in her private life. At one point, after developing jaundice, she said a doctor warned that she could be dead within five years if she did not stop drinking. She subsequently underwent an extended period of treatment and rehab.
Panettiere also wrote about domestic abuse during her relationship with ex-boyfriend Brian Hickerson. Hickerson had multiple arrests during their relationship and was sentenced to jail and probation in 2021 following a domestic violence case. He later publicly acknowledged the importance of the memoir’s chapter addressing the abuse. She also claimed she battled postpartum depression and addiction, and decided to let her daughter Kaya live with her father, former heavyweight boxing champion Wladimir Klitschko, while she sought treatment
Panettiere had suffered another loss in 2023 when her younger brother, actor Jansen Panettiere, died at age 28.
Despite those struggles, Panettiere had recently returned to the spotlight and was promoting her memoir, which reached No. 4 on the New York Times bestseller list.
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