Hayden Panettiere died Sunday afternoon August 16 in Greenville, South Carolina. She was 36 years old. First responders arrived at a residence where she had been temporarily staying after a 911 call and found her unresponsive in cardiac arrest.
Advanced cardiac life support was initiated but resuscitation was unsuccessful. She was pronounced deceased at 2:32 PM.
An autopsy was completed Monday with no signs of trauma discovered. The cause and manner of death are pending further investigation. There is no indication of foul play.
"It is with profound sadness that we share the tragic passing of our beloved Hayden," her father Skip Panettiere said. "Our family asks for privacy as we take time to process this unimaginable loss."
Panettiere began her career as a child actress and became a household name playing the indestructible cheerleader Claire Bennet on NBC's Heroes beginning in 2006. She starred as country music star Juliette Barnes on Nashville from 2012 to 2018.
She had been rebuilding her career and her life, publishing a memoir called This Is Me: A Reckoning earlier in 2026 in which she spoke candidly about postpartum depression, addiction and the devastating 2023 death of her younger brother Jansen at age 28.
Her former partner Wladimir Klitschko, with whom she has a daughter Kaya, said his family was in "profound shock and grief."
She would have turned 37 on Friday.
If you or someone you know is struggling, please reach out to the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988, or to SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-4357.