Hayden Panettiere, best known for her roles in the TV shows Heroes and Nashville, died at the age of 36 on Monday. Just two weeks before her death, she shared a poignant post on Instagram that has since been flooded with tributes from fans.
Final Post and Tributes
The post, a picture of Panettiere in good spirits beside Hollywood photographer Randall Slavin, was captioned “Good times and good friends.” Slavin re-shared the image to his story, writing “Peace be with you, H”. Thousands more left comments, including US actress Selma Blair, who wrote: “I’m dying. Please be here. I love you whale tail my friend.” One fan wrote: “She was my childhood. May she rest in peace,” while others spoke of their “devastation.”
Career and Recent Work
Panettiere’s death comes months after releasing her memoir, titled “This Is Me: A Reckoning.” In it, she spoke about the toll of fame and addiction and detailed the traumatic birth of her daughter Kaya, whom she shares with boxer Wladimir Klitschko. She began acting as a child, appearing in soap operas before gaining wider recognition for her role in the 2000 sports drama Remember The Titans alongside Denzel Washington, and as the voice of Dot in Pixar’s 1998 film A Bug’s Life.
She later found fame playing cheerleader Claire Bennet in the superhero drama Heroes before going on to star as up-and-coming country singer Juliette Barnes for six seasons on the hit TV series Nashville.
Family Loss
Her brother Jansen died at the age of 28 in 2023 following complications from enlarged heart syndrome.
