Actress Hayden Panettiere has died at the age of 36, according to TMZ.
“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,” a representative confirmed in a statement to ABC News. A cause of death has yet to be revealed.
Panettiere’s first significant role as a child star was as the voice of Dot in 1998’s A Bug’s Life, followed by another voice performance in Disney’s Dinosaur. She also played the daughter of Will Patton’s character in 2000’s Remember the Titans.
Her breakthrough success came with the role of Claire Bennet in the NBC series Heroes, the cheerleader referenced by the show’s early tagline: “Save the cheerleader, save the world.” As a series regular, she appeared in 73 episodes of the series, though she did not return for the 2015 revival series.
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In 2012, she began starring in the ABC country music drama Nashville, playing up-and-coming singer Juliette Barnes for the show’s entire six-season run. It would be her final major TV role.
In film, Panettiere played the titular Beth Cooper in teen rom-com I Love You, Beth Cooper, and appeared in Scream 4 and Scream VI as Kirby Reed. Kirby was first introduced as a teenage survivor of Ghostface, who then grew up to become an FBI agent trying to stop the latest spree of killings.
Panettiere gave birth to a daughter in 2014, though no longer had custody at the time of her death. In 2023, her brother Jansen passed away due to heart issues. Her memoir This Is Me: A Reckoning was published in May 2026, in which she was frank about her issues with mental illness and substance abuse.
