Hayden Panettiere, Star of ‘Nashville’ and ‘Heroes,’ Dies at 36
New York Times · LC · trust 63/100
Hayden Panettiere in West Hollywood, Calif., in April. Credit... Ryan Pfluger for The New York Times Skip to content Skip to site index
In May, she published a memoir after a tumultuous decade that involved depression, substance abuse, losing custody of her daughter and stints in rehab.
Hayden Panettiere in West Hollywood, Calif., in April. Credit... Ryan Pfluger for The New York Times
Hayden Panettiere, an actress who was a child star in films like “Remember the Titans” and went on to win acclaim as a high school cheerleader with special powers on the TV series “Heroes” and a troubled country diva on “Nashville,” and who was open about her struggles with mental health issues and substance abuse, has died in South Carolina. She was 36.
Ms. Panettiere’s death was confirmed by her father, Skip Panettiere, in a statement that was provided to The New York Times by his daughter’s publicist. No further details were provided.
“It is with profound sadness that we share the tragic passing of our beloved Hayden,” the statement said. “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. We ask for privacy as our family takes time to process this unimaginable loss.”
A two-time Golden Globe nominee, Ms. Panettiere had lived her life in front of the cameras since she won a gig on a commercial when she was 11 months old. Ten years later, she made a mark as a sharp-tongued coach’s daughter in “Remember the Titans” (2000), starring Denzel Washington.
She played the cheerleader Claire Bennet on “Heroes” (2006-10), and Juliette Barnes, a rising music star, in “Nashville,” for which she was nominated for a supporting-actress Golden Globe in 2013 and 2014. She was Kirby Reed, a quirky, sassy best friend, in the film “Scream 4” (2011), and reprised the role in “Scream VI” (2023).
“Hayden is a real powerhouse,” Wes Craven, the director of “Scream 4,” said while promoting the film. “Tremendous technical ability. Able to bring enormous emotionalities to something very quickly. Smart. Just so full of life and laughter and fun.”
Her life in the public eye took a toll, as she recounted in a memoir published this spring, “This Is Me: A Reckoning.” In 2014, while she was working on “Nashville,” she gave birth to a daughter, Kaya, whose father was Wladimir Klitschko, an ex-boxer Ms. Panettiere dated. Ms. Panettiere said she suffered from postpartum depression, and turned to alcohol and opioids to self-medicate.
She ended up leaving “Nashville” during its fourth season in 2015 to go to a treatment facility for her postpartum depression , which her character was also suffering from, but she returned to the show several months later.
A complete obituary will be published soon.
Matt Stevens is a Times reporter who writes about arts and culture from Los Angeles.
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