Hayden Panettiere has died at the age of 36, according to U.S. media confirmed from a statement by her father, Alan "Skip" Panettiere. The actress, who gained international fame with the series Heroes and later starred in Nashville, also participated in the film saga Scream.
The news was announced this Monday and the family has requested privacy at this time. The cause of death has not been communicated, so there are currently no official data that allow determining what caused her passing.
The actress who became a star with ‘Heroes’
Panettiere began her career as a child and participated in commercials, television series, and voice-over work before becoming one of the most recognizable faces on American television. Her big break came in 2006 with Heroes, where she played Claire Bennet, a young girl with extraordinary abilities.
The series became one of the major television phenomena of the time and made Panettiere an international star. Her performance allowed her to receive several accolades and solidify a career that later also transitioned to film.
The success of ‘Nashville’ and her Golden Globe nominations
Another of the major roles of Hayden Panettiere came with Nashville, a series in which she played the singer Juliette Barnes. The character also allowed her to showcase her musical side and earned her two Golden Globe nominations, in 2013 and 2014.
Her film career also included titles such as Remember the Titans and several installments of the Scream franchise. Her last work was the psychological thriller film Sleepwalker, released in 2026, according to Reuters.
A career also marked by difficult personal moments
The actress's life was accompanied in recent years by personal problems that she herself made public. Panettiere spoke about her struggles with alcohol, depression, and her time in rehabilitation, as well as other personal experiences in her autobiography This Is Me: A Reckoning.
In 2023 she also suffered the death of her younger brother, actor Jansen Panettiere, who passed away at the age of 28 due to a heart condition. Hayden Panettiere was scheduled to turn 37 just a few days after her passing.
The family requests privacy after her death
The environment of Hayden Panettiere has confirmed her death and has requested respect for the family's privacy while new details are known. For the moment, the cause of death has not been officially reported.
The actress leaves a career especially linked to Heroes and Nashville, two productions that marked her career and made her one of the most recognizable faces on American television.