Hayden Panettiere, star of Heroes, Nashville, dies at 36

• Hayden Panettiere dies at 36.
• ‘Heroes’ and ‘Nashville’ star passes away.
• Family confirms actress’s death.
• Panettiere leaves acclaimed career behind.

Hayden Panettiere, the acclaimed actress who rose to international prominence on the television series Heroes and Nashville, has died at the age of 36.

Her death was confirmed on Sunday night in a family statement provided to ABC News and The Guardian. Authorities and representatives have not immediately released a cause of death.

"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. "Our family takes time to process this unimaginable loss."

Child stardom, career defining performances

Born in 1989, Panettiere began appearing in commercials at 11 months old before making her feature film voice debut at age nine as Dot in Pixar's A Bug's Life. She gained widespread notice in the 2000 sports drama Remember the Titans alongside Denzel Washington and landed her first major lead role in Disney Channel's Tiger Cruise in 2004.

At age 17, Panettiere achieved global stardom as Claire Bennet, an invulnerable high school cheerleader in NBC's hit drama Heroes. The show's famous tagline—"Save the cheerleader, save the world"—became a pop-culture phenomenon during its run from 2006 to 2010.

She later starred as country singer Juliette Barnes on Nashville, earning two Golden Globe nominations. Eleven tracks recorded by Panettiere for the series appeared on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart. On the big screen, she became a fan favorite playing horror enthusiast Kirby Reed in Scream 4 (2011) and reprised the role in Scream VI (2023).

Personal struggles, family legacy

Panettiere was open about her personal life and health struggles. In 2014, she gave birth to her daughter, Kaya, with her former fiancé, Ukrainian boxing champion Wladimir Klitschko. She later spoke publicly about severe postpartum depression, alcoholism, and addiction, entering treatment in 2015 while filming Nashville.

In her memoir This Is Me: A Reckoning, she reflected on child stardom and the emotional toll of early fame, writing:

"Subconsciously, I began to associate catastrophe with adoration; people loved me because make-believe bad things happened to me."