Actor Hayden Panettiere, who starred in TV dramas and movies, died Sunday, her representative said. She was 36.
“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,” her representative said in a statement.
No other details were released.
Panettiere was a child actor who became a well-known celebrity and star of both TV shows and movies.
She starred on “Nashville” and, before that, “Heroes.” Her early work includes roles in the 1990s on the soaps “One Life to Live” and “Guiding Light.” She’s also a model and singer, having released several singles.
Panettiere starred in the “Scream” horror movie franchise.
Panettiere gave birth to her daughter boxing champ Wladimir Klitschko in 2014 and has been vocal about her struggle with postpartum depression. She gave up custody of the child in 2018, a decision she called “heartbreaking.”
In 2025, her brother, Jansen Panettiere, died suddenly of heart complications.
In the statement to ABC, her father said the family asked for privacy “as our family takes time to process this unimaginable loss.”
The Associated Press confirmed Panettiere’s death.
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