Her father, Alan “Skip” Panettiere, confirmed the devastating news through a statement released by her publicist.
“It is with profound sadness that we share the tragic passing of our beloved Hayden,” the statement said. “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. We ask for privacy as our family takes time to process this unimaginable loss.”
The circumstances surrounding Panettiere’s death remain under investigation.
Greenville police and the Greenville County Coroner’s Office are handling the case. Authorities have said their preliminary investigation found no signs of foul play or suspicious circumstances. An autopsy has been completed, but officials have not yet released an official cause of death.
Reports about the emergency response have raised additional questions. Dispatch information indicated that responders were dealing with cardiac arrest, while reports based on 911 communications referenced a possible overdose. Those details have not established an official cause of death, and the final determination remains pending.
For now, authorities have urged that speculation not be mistaken for confirmed findings.
Panettiere’s career began almost as soon as she could walk. Born in Palisades, New York, she appeared in television commercials as an infant before entering the world of professional acting.
By the age of four, she had landed a role on ABC’s One Life to Live, playing Sarah Roberts. She later appeared as Lizzie Spaulding on CBS’s Guiding Light, establishing herself as a remarkably young performer with a rapidly expanding career.
Her work soon moved beyond daytime television.
Panettiere provided the voice of Dot in Pixar’s A Bug’s Life and later voiced Suri in Dinosaur. She also appeared in films including Remember the Titans, Joe Somebody, Raising Helen, Racing Stripes, Ice Princess and Bring It On: All or Nothing.
But it was one television role that transformed her career.
In 2006, Panettiere joined NBC’s Heroes as Claire Bennet, a teenager gifted with extraordinary regenerative abilities. The series became a major television success, and Panettiere’s character quickly became one of its most recognizable figures.
Her career continued to expand with appearances in I Love You, Beth Cooper and the horror franchise Scream. She portrayed Kirby Reed in Scream 4 and eventually returned to the character years later in Scream VI.
Then came Nashville.
Beginning in 2012, Panettiere played Juliette Barnes, a talented but troubled country music star whose personal struggles became a central part of the series. The role demonstrated another side of her abilities and earned her two Golden Globe nominations.
She also performed music for the series, with songs associated with the show reaching the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart.
Panettiere’s later career included projects such as Custody, Amber Alert and the psychological thriller Sleepwalker, her final film credit. In 2026, she also released her memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning, offering a deeply personal account of her life, career and struggles outside the spotlight.
Her life was marked by extraordinary success, but also by difficult personal battles that she discussed publicly. Her willingness to speak about those experiences made her story more complicated than the glamorous Hollywood image associated with her early career.
Panettiere is survived by her daughter, Kaya Evdokia Klitschko, her father, Skip Panettiere, and her mother, Lesley Vogel. Her daughter is the child of Panettiere’s former relationship with Ukrainian heavyweight boxer Wladimir Klitschko.
The actress also endured the heartbreaking loss of her younger brother, actor Jansen Panettiere, who died in 2023.
News of Panettiere’s death has prompted an outpouring of grief from former co-stars, friends and fans. Those who worked with her have remembered not only her talent but also the warmth and determination she brought to her work.
For a performer who spent virtually her entire life in front of cameras, Panettiere leaves behind a body of work that stretches across television, film and music.
She was only 36.
As investigators continue working to establish the circumstances surrounding her sudden death, her family has asked for privacy while they cope with a loss that has shocked Hollywood and the millions who watched Hayden Panettiere grow up on screen.
