By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2026-08-17 17:53:29 | Updated at 2026-08-19 22:59:00
2 days ago
Gayle King, 71, said that she believes Hayden Panettiere was 'clearly still struggling' when she interviewed her three months before her tragic death at age 36 on Sunday.
In audio of a 911 call made at 1.51pm yesterday, a female dispatcher described the 36-year-old Heroes and Nashville star as suffering a 'cardiac arrest.'
A few moments later, a male dispatcher could be heard saying that Panettiere had suffered a suspected overdose at the home in Greenville.
Detectives confirmed to the Daily Mail that they responded yesterday afternoon to a 911 call from an unnamed 'acquaintance' of the star, describing her as 'unresponsive.'
In the wake of her shock passing, King spoke about her final interaction with Panettiere during Monday's episode of CBS Mornings.
King interviewed Panettiere in May 2026 upon the release of her memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning.
'We all woke up to the news this morning,' King said of Panettiere's death. 'I felt so, so, sad.'
'It was hard when she was here that day,' King added of her May 2026 interview with Panettiere.
Gayle King, 71, said that she believes Hayden Panettiere was 'clearly still struggling' when she interviewed her three months before her tragic death at age 36 on Sunday
In the wake of her shock passing, King spoke about Panettiere during Monday's episode of CBS Mornings, sharing that her death was 'so sad.' Panettiere is seen in 2009
As King reported on Panettiere's death, she spoke about what it was like to have her in the studio just a few months ago.
'I was talking to her off-camera, she was saying that she felt like she was in a good place,' King said.
'Her daughter meant everything to her, and giving up her daughter, [giving] custody to the dad was one of the hardest things, but she thought that was what was best for her daughter,' King continued.
'But she was clearly still struggling, and to wake up to hear this news was really tough,' King said about Panettiere.
While battling substance addiction issues in 2018, the actress decided to sign over custody of her 11-year-old daughter to her former fiancé, Ukrainian boxer Wladimir Klitschko.
Kaya lives in Ukraine with Klitschko, but Panettiere had previously spoken about the great relationship that she had with her child.
During her May 2026 interview with King, the actress said that she wanted people to know that they could be 'imperfect.'
In her memoir, she detailed her struggle with postpartum depression, her abusive relationship with on-off boyfriend Brian Hickerson and the hardships she had faced as a child star, among other topics.
King interviewed Panettiere in May 2026 upon the release of her memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning
'I was talking to her off camera, she was saying that she felt like she was in a good place,' King said of Panettiere, seen here in 2019
'I really wanted to share with the world that they don't have to be afraid, that they can live their truth, that they can be imperfect, that being perfectly imperfect is being brave, and it's okay,' Panettiere told King
She also shared that she wanted to discuss postpartum depression as there was still 'backlash' surrounding the experience.
'I'm better, healthier, than I've been in a long time,' Panettiere told King.
'I'm cheering you on, Hayden,' King said.
On Sunday, officers and paramedics carried out chest compressions while trying to save Panettiere's life at the Judson Mill Lofts apartment block.
But the actress – who was due to turn 37 this Friday - was pronounced dead at the scene at 2.32pm, just over 40 minutes after the first 911 call was made.
Police and the medical examiner are investigating the death, but said the 'preliminary investigation has not indicated any signs of foul play or suspicious circumstances'.
The star and her on-off real estate agent boyfriend Hickerson were said to have flown from Los Angeles to South Carolina, where he is from, one day before she died.
'I'm cheering you on, Hayden,' King said during the interview
The star began acting as a child, appearing in soap operas, then gained wider recognition for her role in the 2000 sports drama Remember the Titans with Denzel Washington, and as the voice of Dot in Pixar's 1998 film A Bug's Life.
Panettiere later found fame playing cheerleader Claire Bennet in the superhero drama Heroes before starring as country singer Juliette Barnes for six seasons on Nashville.
She earned two Golden Globe nominations for best supporting actress on the show, while her singing produced 11 entries on the US Billboard Hot Country Songs charts.
Panettiere's film credits include 2006's Bring It On: All or Nothing, the comedy-drama film Raising Helen, and appearances in Scream 4 and Scream VI as Kirby Reed.
A statement from her father, Skip, read: '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 also asked that her family be given privacy as they 'take time to process this unimaginable loss'.
