Actor Hayden Panettiere, known for prominent roles in Heroes and Nashville, died Sunday at age 36 in Greenville, South Carolina, according to police and a statement from her father. She is survived by her 11-year-old daughter, Kaya Evdokia Klitschko.
Greenville Police said officers responded shortly before 2 p.m. to a report of an unresponsive woman. Medical assistance was administered, but Panettiere was pronounced dead at the scene. Investigators said the preliminary inquiry found no signs of foul play or suspicious circumstances. An acquaintance placed the 911 call. Police said they could not verify audio published by the New York Post that appeared to capture emergency personnel discussing resuscitation efforts and a possible overdose. Her publicist said an investigation remained underway.
Family members, colleagues and industry organizations issued tributes following confirmation of her death. Viola Davis, Bethany Joy Lenz, Rosie O’Donnell, Taryn Manning and Jordan Schultz remembered Panettiere’s talent, intelligence and personal warmth. SAG-AFTRA, which she joined as a child, offered condolences to her family, friends and fans.
Panettiere began working onscreen at 11 months old in a commercial and later appeared in One Life to Live. Her film and television credits included Remember the Titans, Raising Helen, Scream 4 and Scream VI. She became widely recognized as Claire Bennet in Heroes and as country singer Juliette Barnes in Nashville. She also voiced Dot in Pixar’s A Bug’s Life.
In her 2026 memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning, Panettiere discussed the pressures of childhood fame, emotional difficulties associated with acting and her experience with postpartum depression after Kaya’s birth in 2014. She also reflected on the death of her brother, Jansen, from heart-related complications in 2023, describing herself as resilient despite trauma. Her daughter lives abroad with her father, heavyweight boxer Wladimir Klitschko, according to the account published after Panettiere’s death.