Hayden Panettiere, best known for her roles in Heroes and Nashville, has died aged 36. In her memoir, released three months before her death, she described a traumatic health ordeal during the birth of her daughter that left her “no longer afraid of dying”.
Emergency Caesarean and a 'Code Crimson'
Panettiere gave birth to her daughter Kaya, now 11, in 2014 after an emergency Caesarean section. She recalled her then-fiancé Wladimir Klitschko beside her in the operating room, joking with him as he wore a surgical mask: “You’re doing resting b***h face.” He replied, “Well, just keep looking at my RBF. It will keep you distracted while they’re getting our daughter.”
After Kaya was born, Panettiere was overcome with emotion. “Oh my God, she looks like my Poppa,” she told Wladimir. He pointed out that Kaya had inherited her grandmother’s dimples, while Panettiere noticed her “blue eyes”. The moment was interrupted when a doctor shouted: “Code crimson! Everyone step back.” A nurse took Kaya from the room, telling Wladimir: “I’m so sorry, Dad. But we’re going to need you out of the room immediately.”
Haemorrhage and a Sense of Calm
Panettiere later learned she had suffered a severe haemorrhage and required seven blood transfusions, as well as surgery to repair damaged blood vessels. As she lay on the operating table, she closed her eyes and prayed for her daughter to be safe.
“I don’t know if it was the drugs I’d been given or divine intervention, but suddenly, a sense of calm flooded my body, and I was no longer afraid of dying,” she wrote. She reflected on her life, her family and the possibility that Wladimir might have to raise Kaya without her. “I’d done my job having the baby. I’d lived a good life, and I’d tried hard to be a good person. My family loved me, and I’d loved them.” She added: “I’d miss being a mom, but it was okay. Wlad could handle this.”
Panettiere asked the anaesthesiologist what he was holding, after noticing a “giant shot”. “What the hell is that?” she asked. “It’s the good stuff,” he replied. “Now, you’ve got about two minutes before you start feeling what’s going to happen to you. Trust me, you do not want to feel that.” He injected the medication into her IV line, and she passed out.
Postnatal Depression and Custody Decision
The traumatic birth was followed by postnatal depression, which Panettiere later said left her feeling emotionally numb when she looked at her daughter. She turned to alcohol to cope, eventually developing a dependency and entering treatment.
In 2018, she made the decision to give custody of Kaya to Wladimir, a decision she later said was made because she needed to get help and become the mother her daughter needed. In one of her final interviews, she told parenting outlet Mome: “It wasn’t a decision I made lightly, nor was it a decision I even wanted to make. I was going through a really challenging time in my life… I knew I needed to be able to put her first so that I could get the help I needed and be the mum she needed me to be.”
Panettiere’s death was confirmed by her family on Monday. Her father Skip described her as “an incredible light and a force of nature” who brought “immeasurable love and joy” to those around her. No cause of death has been announced.
