Actress Hayden Panettiere, best known for her starring roles in “Heroes” and “Nashville,” has died at the age of 36 after being found in cardiac arrest at a residence in South Carolina.
Emergency services were called to an apartment complex in Greenville on Sunday afternoon following a report of cardiac arrest, according to the Greenville County Coroner’s Office.
Panettiere, a California resident who had been temporarily staying at the property, was found unresponsive inside the home. Paramedics administered CPR and advanced cardiac life support measures but were unable to revive her.
She was pronounced dead approximately 40 minutes after the emergency call was received. Police said the call was placed by an acquaintance, although no further information about the person was disclosed.
An autopsy conducted on Monday found no evidence of trauma that may have contributed to Panettiere’s death. The official cause and manner of death remain undetermined pending additional tests.
Micah Lee, a resident of the apartment complex, said he became aware of activity in the hallway on Sunday afternoon after his cats began “going crazy.”
“I heard through the door that a person had collapsed,” Lee told CNN.
Residents later received an email from the property manager asking them to direct questions from journalists to the authorities.
“Residents and community management are not in a position to provide official information or comment on the circumstances surrounding this matter,” the email said. “All media inquiries should be directed to the appropriate law enforcement authorities.”
Panettiere’s father, Skip Panettiere, remembered his daughter as a gifted performer whose warmth touched those around her as well as audiences worldwide.
“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,” he said in a statement released through her representative.
SAG-AFTRA also mourned the “sudden passing of Hayden Panettiere,” who had been a member of the actors’ union since 1994.
“A child actor, Hayden’s long career in TV & film included memorable roles in ‘Heroes,’ ‘Nashville’ & more. Our hearts are with her daughter, family, friends & fans,” the union said.
Born on August 21, 1989, in Palisades, New York, Panettiere began appearing in commercials when she was just 11 months old. She later voiced Princess Dot in the 1998 animated film “A Bug’s Life” and received a Grammy nomination for the accompanying read-along recording.
She played Lizzie Spaulding on the long-running CBS soap opera “Guiding Light” between 1996 and 2000, portraying a young girl diagnosed with leukaemia.
Former co-star Bethany Joy Lenz recalled Panettiere’s exceptional ability and professionalism from an early age.
By the time Panettiere was 10, “she knew her lines and everyone else’s,” Lenz wrote on Instagram. “Her intelligence was astonishing. She understood scenes and nuance and human struggle like no child I’d ever seen on camera.”
Other early roles included appearances in “Remember the Titans,” “Ice Princess,” “Bring It On: All or Nothing” and “I Love You, Beth Cooper.”
Her breakthrough arrived in 2006 when she was cast as Claire Bennet, a high-school cheerleader with regenerative powers, in the NBC science-fiction drama “Heroes.” The series became an international success and ran for four seasons until 2010.
Panettiere later joined the “Scream” franchise as Kirby Reed, first appearing in “Scream 4” in 2011 before reprising the role in the sixth instalment more than a decade later.
She earned further acclaim for portraying troubled country music star Juliette Barnes opposite Connie Britton in the ABC musical drama “Nashville,” which aired from 2012 to 2018.
Britton shared several photographs of Panettiere on Instagram and described her former co-star as “bursting with brilliance, shining so bright.”
“I have no words for this sad song. Just heartbreak. I love you girl. Sleep easy now,” she wrote.
Despite achieving widespread success, Panettiere later spoke candidly about her experiences with addiction, postpartum depression and domestic abuse.
Earlier this year, she released the memoir “This Is Me: A Reckoning,” examining the pressures of growing up in the entertainment industry and her journey towards recovery.
“I could relate to a lot of those storylines like the alcoholism and postpartum depression. They hit close to home,” she told People magazine in 2022, referring to storylines involving her character in “Nashville.”
Panettiere also revealed that she had previously been hospitalised with jaundice and warned by doctors that her liver was “going to give out.”
Panettiere is survived by her 11-year-old daughter, Kaya, whom she shared with former world heavyweight boxing champion Wladimir Klitschko of Ukraine. During a 2022 appearance on “Red Table Talk,” she discussed her difficult decision to relinquish custody while struggling with substance misuse.
“It was the hardest thing I could do,” she said. “But the best thing for my daughter was to make sure she was OK, take care of myself and make sure I could be a good mom to her. And sometimes that means letting go.”
Panettiere had also publicly addressed the death of her younger brother, actor Jansen Panettiere, who died in 2023 at the age of 28 from an enlarged heart accompanied by aortic valve complication.
“There was nothing in my life that feels like losing my other half,” she told podcaster Jay Shetty earlier this year. “We were so close, and being the older sibling – who it’s your job to protect them and keep them safe – and not being able to, heartbreaking doesn’t even begin to cover it.”
Away from acting and music, Panettiere supported causes including mental health awareness, animal welfare, environmental protection and voting rights for residents of Washington, DC. She also established a relief fund in 2022 to provide medical supplies and protective equipment to Ukrainians following Russia’s invasion.
Her recent screen appearances included the 2024 thriller “Amber Alert” and the 2026 film “Sleepwalker,” marking a renewed chapter in her acting career.
Lenz said Panettiere’s apparent return to both professional and personal stability made news of her death particularly difficult to comprehend.
“I don’t understand how this is real. Everything seemed to be turning around,” she wrote. “She was coming BACK to life, wasn’t she? It’s too young and there’s still so much more life. And her daughter…. Hayden, you are surround by love. I’m sorry for every moment I didn’t reach out or check in. This can’t be real.”
