Hayden Panettiere, Actress on ‘Heroes’ and ‘Nashville,’ Dies at 36

This developing story first posted Aug. 16, 8:06 p.m. PT and is being updated as new information is released.

Hayden Panettiere, known for her roles on shows such as Heroes and Nashville, has died, her father said in a statement Sunday. She was 36.

“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,” her father, Skip Panettiere, said in a statement. “We ask for privacy as our family takes time to process this unimaginable loss.” 

The details around her death are unknown. Her publicist, Kasey Kitchen, said an investigation was ongoing, with TMZ reporting that an autopsy would be performed on Monday.

According to the 911 audio call reported on by TMZ and People, a friend found the actress unresponsive and in cardiac arrest inside a residence in Greenville, South Caroline. Officials were reportedly heard discussing an “overdose” and “cardiac arrest” around the time of Panettiere’s death.

Police in Greenville, South Carolina, said in a statement to NBC News that officers “accompanied by EMS personnel, responded to a report of an unresponsive female” at around 1:50 p.m. on Sunday. “Upon arrival, medical assistance was administered; however, the individual, later identified as Hayden Panettiere, was pronounced deceased at the scene.”

Police said the case is under investigation by the Greenville Police Department in conjunction with the Greenville County Coroner’s Office and that “the preliminary investigation has not indicated any signs of foul play or suspicious circumstances.” An “acquaintance” of Panettiere’s placed the 911 call.

Panettiere’s credits also include the films I Love You, Beth Cooper (2009), Scream 4 (2011) and Scream VI (2023) and the title role in the 2011 Lifetime telefilm Amanda Knox.

She was involved in a relationship with Ukrainian champion heavyweight boxer Wladimir Klitschko from 2009-11 and 2013–18, and they had a daughter, daughter, Kaya, in 2014. Her younger brother, actor Jansen Panettiere, died in February 2023 of aortic valve complications at age 28.

In May, Panettiere had published her raw and candid memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning, where she opened up about growing up in the spotlight as a child star, her battles with addiction, postpartum depression and more.

The actress spoke with THR’s Seija Rankin about her biggest revelations from the book, including if she told people she would be writing about the personal stories.

“I was fiercely protective of people in my writing,” she said. “I felt very strongly about my ability to tell my stories and make them entertaining enough to put in a book, without having to drag people through the mud. I had members of my team that I would bounce ideas off of, or ask their opinions about things like that I was writing.”

She added: “I mean, my publicist is also my dear friend and I trust her, so I leaned on her to know. And then I made sure that Vlad [Klitschko, Panettiere’s ex-fiancé and father of her daughter] wasn’t going to be upset with me. But other than that, I just had to speak my truth — and it’s mine alone.”

Panettiere earned her breakout role in 2006, playing the indestructible cheerleader Claire Bennet on the NBC sci-fi series Heroes. She starred on the series for four seasons.

She garnered more fame playing Juliette Barnes on the ABC series Nashville from 2012-18 and then as Kirby Reed in the Scream horror franchise.

In her memoir, she also opened up about her struggles with Nashville, specifically how Juliette’s storyline started to resemble your own personal strife, such as her character’s postpartum depression and alcoholism.

Earlier credits included One Life to Live, Guiding Light, Malcolm in the Middle, The Object of My Affection, A Bug’s Life, Ice Princess and Message in a Bottle.

Born on Aug. 21, 1989, Panettiere was raised in Palisades, New York, by her parents, actress-producer Lesley R. Vogel, who managed her daughter’s career, and Alan Lee “Skip” Panettiere, a retired captain in the New York City Fire Department.

“My introduction to acting was actually at 11 months old,” she told Entertainment Tonight in 2023. “Playskool Toy Train was my first commercial, but, I don’t know if that would really be an introduction to acting, because I don’t think acting was involved at that point. I didn’t have lines, I was just playing.”

She also shared that her favorite experience was playing Sheryl Yoast on Remember the Titans (2000).

“This movie was my favorite movie to film; what an incredible time in my life,” she said. “That’s just pure me that look. That is like from, oh my gosh — I mean, I was 10 years old. I had such cute boys around me, I was surrounded by the cutest boys. Kate Bosworth was like my big sister, was close to everyone. … I mean, you have no idea how many times in my life I have wished and prayed — if I had wished to go back to any time in my life, it would be going back to Remember the Titans.”

Panettiere earned noms at the Golden Globes, Critics Choice Television Awards, Teen Choice Awards and People’s Choice Awards for her role in Nashville. Her performance in Heroes landed her Teen Choice noms and a Young Artist Award. She also won a Young Artist Award for her role in Remember the Titans.

MIke Barnes contributed to this report.

Aug. 17, 5 a.m. Updated with Greenville Police Department statement.
8:30 a.m. Updated to include reports on 911 audio.