Hayden Panettiere, who became a household name as a teenager for her role in Heroes and later starred in Nashville and the Scream films, has died aged 36.
“It is with profound sadness that we share the tragic passing of our beloved Hayden,” Panettiere’s father, Skip said in a statement to ABC News. “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.”
No cause of death or further information about her death has been shared.
Panettiere’s breakthrough role came with NBC’s sci-fi drama Heroes, where she played Claire Bennet, a high-school cheerleader with the power to regenerate from injuries, from 2006 to 2010.
She followed Heroes with Nashville, playing aspiring country singer Juliette Barnes from 2012 to 2018. The performance earned her two Golden Globe nominations.
Panettiere’s New York Times bestselling memoir This Is Me: A Reckoning was published in May this year, where she looked back at her childhood in Hollywood and her experiences with addiction, postpartum depression, abusive relationships, and the loss of custody of her daughter, Kaya, whom she shares with former heavyweight boxer Wladimir Klitschko.
Selma Blair says ‘don’t be gone’ in tribute to Panettiere
Selma Blair has shared an emotional tribute to Hayden Panettiere, with whom she worked as a child actor nearly three decades ago.
Commenting on Panettiere’s final Instagram post from 27 July, Blair wrote: “I love you. Don’t be gone. Don’t be gone. Please. Please.”
The two starred together in the 1999 television film If You Believe, in which Blair played Susan Stone and Panettiere portrayed her younger self, Suzie.
Shahana Yasmin17 August 2026 06:29
SAG-AFTRA mourns Hayden Panettiere after actor’s death
Actors’ union SAG-AFTRA has paid tribute to Hayden Panettiere after her death.
“We mourn the sudden passing of Hayden Panettiere,” the union said in a statement. “A child actor, Hayden’s long career in TV & film included memorable roles in Heroes, Nashville and more. Our hearts are with her daughter, family, friends & fans.”
Panettiere had been a SAG-AFTRA member since 1994. She began appearing in commercials at just 11 months old, making her debut in an advert for a Playskool toy train. At four, she landed her first regular acting role as Sarah Roberts on the ABC soap opera One Life to Live, a role she played for four years.
Shahana Yasmin17 August 2026 06:16
Fans pay tribute to Hayden Panettiere after her death at 36
Fans have been sharing their heartbreak over the actor’s death, with some remembering her alongside her Ice Princess costar late Michelle Trachtenberg.
“First Michelle Trachtenberg now Hayden Panettiere,” one fan wrote. “I’m so sad, I can’t believe this, my ice princesses both gone.”
Trachtenberg, best known for Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Gossip Girl, died aged 39 in February 2025. She and Panettiere starred in the 2005 Disney film Ice Princess, with Trachtenberg playing aspiring figure skater Casey Carlyle and Panettiere playing her skating rival, Gen Harwood.
“Just saw the news and I’m so sad, rest in peace Hayden Panettiere. And thank you for giving us one of the best and most funniest characters in the Scream franchise,” wrote another fan.
Shahana Yasmin17 August 2026 05:57
Hayden Panettiere’s memoir revealed the pressures of being a child star
Hayden Panettiere released her memoir This Is Me: A Reckoning earlier this year, where she shared that her mother once used superglue to attach a lost baby tooth to a dental flipper.
Panettiere, who began appearing in commercials at just 11 months old, recalled losing a front tooth when she was eight and said her mother Lesley Vogel squeezed “a dab of superglue” on the fake tooth to secure it to her mouth.
“Partly in horror and partly out of respect for the MacGyver-like skills I had no idea she possessed, I stepped back to give Mom some room,” she wrote. “A little voice in my head told me that if the superglue wasn’t dry, I was going to live with this flipper for all eternity. I closed my mouth and licked my top teeth. Then I opened my mouth and smiled.”
She wrote that she had ended her professional relationship with her mother as a teenager. “Unfortunately, we don’t have a relationship right now,” she told Us Weekly in May. “But that doesn’t mean that I don’t leave the door open for the opportunity to present itself one day.”
Shahana Yasmin17 August 2026 05:46
Horror convention Scaradise pays tribute to Hayden Panettiere
The horror and pop-culture convention Scaradise has paid tribute to Hayden Panettiere after her death, describing her as “so sweet and kind”.
“We are incredibly sad to hear about the passing of Hayden Panettiere. Hayden joined us at our February show and quickly became one of our favorite people. She was so sweet & kind. She brought joy to everyone she met. We are so grateful to have shared that time with her,” the statement read.
“Our thoughts are with her family, friends, and everyone who loved her during this incredibly difficult time.”
Scaradise, held at the Florida State Fairgrounds in Tampa from 27 February to 1 March, featured Panettiere alongside several of her Scream co-stars, including Emma Roberts, Rory Culkin, and David Arquette.
Shahana Yasmin17 August 2026 05:32
Hayden Panettiere’s father pays tribute to ‘incredible light’ after her death
Hayden Panettiere’s father Skip has asked for privacy as the family mourns the actor’s death at 36.
Confirming her death in a statement to ABC News, he described his daughter as “an incredible light and a force of nature” who brought “immeasurable love and joy” to those who knew her and the millions who watched her onscreen.
He asked for privacy ‘as our family takes time to process this unimaginable loss.’”
No cause of death has been announced, and further details surrounding her death have not been released.
Shahana Yasmin17 August 2026 05:31
Hayden Panettiere dead: Heroes and Nashville star dies aged 36
Hayden Panettiere, best known for her roles in Heroes, Nashville, and the Scream franchise, has died aged 36.
“It is with profound sadness that we share the tragic passing of our beloved Hayden,” Panettiere’s father, Skip said in a statement to ABC News. “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.”
No cause of death was announced.
Shahana Yasmin17 August 2026 05:06