Hayden Panettiere, the American actor known for her roles in Nashville, Heroes and Remember the Titans, has died aged 36.
Early life and career
Born in 1989, Panettiere was a child star who began acting at just 11 months old, appearing in a toy commercial. She made her big screen debut as the voice of Dot in A Bug’s Life, aged nine.
Panettiere played the younger version of Hilary Swank’s Jeanne de Valois-Saint-Rémy in 2001’s The Affair of the Necklace, and appeared with Kelly Lynch in the 2001 comedy Joe Somebody. She starred as Patty Ann Applewood in the 2003 film Normal alongside Tom Wilkinson.
Television and film roles
Panettiere was a recurring star on Malcolm in the Middle from 2003 to 2005, and worked with Kate Hudson and Joan Cusack on the 2004 comedy-drama Raising Helen. She starred in the 2005 teen sports comedy-drama Ice Princess with Michelle Trachtenberg, who died in February 2025.
She also worked alongside Sebastian Stan, Isabella Rossellini and Anthony LaPaglia in The Architect (2006). Stan also featured in the music video of Panettiere’s debut single Wake Up Call, released in 2008.
Heroes and Nashville
Panettiere played Claire Bennet in Heroes, which made her a global star. The show ran for four seasons between 2006 and 2010. Her cheerleader character was the centre of Heroes’ core mantra: ‘Save the cheerleader, save the world.’
She earned two Golden Globe nominations for her performance as the troubled country music star Juliette Barnes on Nashville. She also played Kirby Reed in 2011’s Scream 4 and 2023’s Scream VI.
Personal life and memoir
Panettiere showed her pregnancy at the 66th Emmy awards in 2014. Her daughter Kaya Klitschko was born the same year. In 2018, Panettiere gave full custody of her child to ex-fiancé Wladimir Klitschko in order to focus on recovering from postpartum depression and substance abuse.
In May 2026, Panettiere released her memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning. In the book she shared details of her struggles with postpartum depression, addiction, fame and relationships.
