Former boxer Wladimir Klitschko said his family is “going through a time of profound shock and grief” following the death of his former partner, actress Hayden Panettiere. The 36-year-old, known for roles in Heroes and Nashville, died on Sunday. She was the mother of their daughter Kaya.
Klitschko's tribute
In an Instagram post, Klitschko wrote: “Our family is going through a time of profound shock and grief. The announcement of Hayden’s tragic death saddens me deeply. She left this world far too soon. Hayden was, although no longer my partner, an important part of my life and the mother of our daughter, Kaya.”
He added: “She built an incredible career through immense talent, while also facing the darker sides of a very demanding industry. Nothing will erase the times we shared or the place she had in our lives.”
Circumstances of death
Police in Greenville, South Carolina, found Panettiere in cardiac arrest and said there were “no signs of foul play or suspicious circumstances”. The Greenville County Coroner’s Office said an autopsy has been completed and “no signs of trauma were discovered that would have contributed to the death.”
A statement added: “The cause and manner of death remain pending further investigation and the completion of additional studies.”
Family statements
Panettiere’s father, Skip, described her as “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.” He also asked for privacy as the family processes the loss.
Panettiere and Klitschko dated from 2009 to 2018, and their daughter was born in 2014. In 2018, Panettiere gave Klitschko full custody as she struggled with addiction and mental health. She spoke openly about these struggles, including postpartum depression after Kaya’s birth.
In a memoir published earlier this year, Panettiere detailed the loss of her younger brother, Jansen, and her decision to give full custody to Klitschko. She told podcaster Jay Shetty: “I was struggling with mental health and anxiety, and the postpartum and having to act my way through it and just feeling like I completely lost myself.”
Panettiere began acting as a child, appearing in soap operas before gaining recognition in the 2000 film Remember the Titans and voicing Dot in Pixar’s 1998 film A Bug’s Life. She later starred as Claire Bennet in Heroes and as Juliette Barnes in Nashville, earning two Golden Globe nominations. Her film credits include Bring It On: All or Nothing, Raising Helen, and Scream 4 and Scream VI.
