Charles Esten performed at the same venue where his former “Nashville” co-star Hayden Panettiere died, just days before her passing.
The actor shared the “strange coincidence” in his Instagram tribute to the late 36-year-old on Monday.
He noted that his show was “not only in Greenville, South Carolina,” where Panettiere died of an apparent overdose Sunday, but in the exact same location.
“We were actually in Judson Mills, itself (where the [Foundry] venue is located),” Esten explained. “Alongside the horrific news of her passing, [my wife, Patty Hanson, and I] have both been stunned to hear in news reports that Hayden had apparently arrived there at the same Judson Mills (the loft apartments, not the venue) the very next day.”
He clarified, “By then, (Saturday) our tour bus had taken us through the night to Wilmington, where we were setting up for my next show, oblivious to all that was to come.”
Dubbing this “such a strange coincidence,” he wrote, “I just wish that it had actually put us there together at the same time. And that we somehow could have bumped into her. And got to hug her, and laugh in amazement with her. And tell her how much we love her again. 
”
The “heartbroken” musician was “stunned and saddened” to hear of Panettiere’s passing — and described the moment they met after he auditioned for “Nashville,” on which he played Deacon Claybourne for six seasons.
“I … went to open the door to leave. Instead of swinging all the way out, the door bumped into somebody. Kinda hard,” he recalled.
“To my complete surprise, it was Hayden Paniettiere, who — in full Juliette Barnes mode — had been listening with her ear to the door,” the singer added. “Her face instantly bloomed into the most beautiful smile. Eyes twinkling, she clapped her hands and said, ‘That was so good!!’”
The duo became “fast friends,” with Esten noting, “She was, of course, extraordinarily talented, infusing her larger-than-life character with all the heart, charisma, humor, whip-smart intelligence and flat-out magic that were, alongside whatever troubles and pain she carried, a part of her own personal palette.”
He concluded with a message to Panettiere, reading, “God bless you, Hayden. Rest In Peace and Light.”
Many of Panettiere’s other “Nashville” co-stars have mourned her in touching statements, from Connie Britton to Sylvia Jefferies.
“This was Hayden. Bursting with brilliance, shining so bright,” Britton, who played Rayna Jaymes on the drama, told her Instagram followers. “I have no words for this sad song. Just heartbreak.”
As for Jefferies, who played Panettiere’s character’s mom, she wrote that Panettiere “had an incredibly bright future ahead of her, although her inner demons were at times too much to bear.”
Meanwhile, Sam Palladio, who played Gunnar Scott, penned a lengthy statement about how “utterly heartbroken” he is over the “huge loss.”
He wrote, “You were generous, wise beyond your years and lit up every room with your star. It feels so incredibly sad that you’re not here and that you’d been through so much turmoil in recent years. You didn’t deserve any of it.”
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