Actress Hayden Panettiere has died, her representative confirmed to ABC News. She was 36 years old.
"It is with profound sadness that we share the tragic passing of our beloved Hayden. She was 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," her father, Skip Panettiere, said in a statement.
Her father asked for privacy "as our family takes time to process this unimaginable loss."
Further details surrounding Panettiere's death were not immediately available.
Beginning as a child star, with a long career in both TV and film, Panettiere is remembered for her roles as Claire Bennet on the hit series Heroes and as Juliette Barnes on the musical drama Nashville.
She also starred in Remember the Titans, Raising Helen, Ice Princess and Scream 4.
Panettiere has been candid about her struggles from child stardom through adulthood. She released a memoir this May titled This Is Me: A Reckoning.
She is the mother to one child, her daughter Kaya Klitschko, whom she had in 2014 with her ex-fiancé, heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko.
Her brother, Jansen Panettiere, died suddenly in February 2023 from cardiomegaly (enlarged heart) coupled with aortic valve complications, his family said in a statement at the time. He was 28.
Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
