LOS ANGELES, United States — Hayden Panettiere, the actress who became a television star through Heroes and Nashville, has died. She was 36.
Her representative confirmed her death on Sunday, August 16, 2026.
The cause was not immediately disclosed.
“It is with profound sadness that we share the tragic passing of our beloved Hayden,” her father, Skip Panettiere, said in a family statement.
“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.”
The family asked for privacy.
From Child Actor to Television Star
Panettiere began acting as a child and built a career spanning television, film and voice work.
She achieved international recognition as Claire Bennet, a cheerleader with regenerative powers, in NBC’s Heroes, which premiered in 2006.
She later starred as country singer Juliette Barnes in the musical drama Nashville. The performance earned her two Golden Globe nominations.
Her film work included Remember the Titans, I Love You, Beth Cooper and Scream 4. She returned as Kirby Reed in Scream VI more than a decade after first playing the character.
Her most recent film was the 2026 psychological thriller Sleepwalker.
Panettiere Had Spoken Openly About Her Life
In May, Panettiere published a memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning, examining her experience of becoming famous as a child and the personal difficulties that followed.
She had spoken publicly about postpartum depression, alcohol addiction and her efforts at recovery.
Panettiere also discussed the difficult decision to have her daughter, Kaya, live primarily with her father, former heavyweight boxing champion Wladimir Klitschko.
She described that decision as painful but necessary while she worked to regain stability in her own life.
Panettiere had also spoken extensively about the death of her younger brother, actor Jansen Panettiere, who died in 2023 at 28.
“There was nothing in my life that feels like losing my other half,” she said earlier this year while discussing his death.
Advocacy Beyond Hollywood
Away from acting, Panettiere supported mental-health causes, animal welfare and environmental campaigns.
She also became an outspoken supporter of Ukraine after Russia’s invasion, launching a relief fund in 2022 to help provide medical and protective supplies.
Her ties to the country were personal. Her daughter shares Ukrainian heritage through Klitschko, whose brother Vitali Klitschko is mayor of Kyiv.
SAG-AFTRA paid tribute to Panettiere following news of her death, saying it joined her family, friends and fans in mourning her loss.
Panettiere is survived by her daughter, Kaya, and her parents.
