US actress Hayden Panettiere, best known for her roles in Heroes and Nashville, has died aged 36.
A representative for the actress confirmed her death, sharing a statement from her father Skip who said her family would remember her “incredible light”.
“It is with profound sadness that we share the tragic passing of our beloved Hayden,” the statement read.
“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 also asked that her family be given privacy as they “take time to process this unimaginable loss”.
Panettiere had a daughter, Kaya, aged 11.
No cause of death has been announced.
Panettiere began acting as a child, appearing in soap operas before gaining wider recognition for her role in the 2000 sports drama Remember The Titans alongside Denzel Washington and as the voice of Dot in Pixar’s 1998 film A Bug’s Life.
She later found fame playing cheerleader Claire Bennet in the superhero drama Heroes before going on to star as up-and-coming country singer Juliette Barnes for six seasons on the hit TV series Nashville.
Her performances in Nashville earned her two Golden Globe nominations for best supporting actress, while her singing on the show produced 11 entries on the US Billboard Hot Country Songs charts.
Panettiere’s film credits include 2006’s Bring It On: All Or Nothing, comedy-drama film Raising Helen, and appearances in Scream 4 and Scream VI as Kirby Reed.
The actress had previously revealed her struggles with addiction throughout her 20s following her rapid rise to fame.
In a memoir published earlier this year, Panettiere also opened up about her difficulties with mental health and the loss of her younger brother, Jansen, who died of a heart condition in 2023 aged 28.
She also talked about her decision to give full custody of her daughter to her former partner, Ukrainian boxer Wladimir Klitschko.
“The idea that anyone would think that I would just give away my child and be okay with it is heartbreaking and couldn’t be further from the truth,” she told podcaster Jay Shetty after the release of her memoir in May.
Panettiere said her daughter had lived with her father full-time from a young age amid the actresses’ struggles with addiction and mental health.
She said: “I was struggling with mental health and anxiety and the postpartum and having to act my way through it and just feeling like I completely lost myself.”
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