By Page Six | Created at 2026-08-17 04:04:04 | Updated at 2026-08-17 04:56:56
1 hour ago
Hayden Panettiere, an actress best known for her starring roles in “Nashville” and “Heroes,” has died. She was 36.
“It is with profound sadness that we share the tragic passing of our beloved Hayden,” her father, Skip Panettiere, said in a statement to ABC News.
“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 concluded the statement by asking for privacy “as our family takes time to process this unimaginable loss.”
A cause of death has yet to be revealed. Page Six has reached out to reps for Panettiere for comment.
Panettiere was born on Aug. 21, 1989, in Palisades, New York, to parents Skip and Lesley Vogel. Her younger brother, Jansen, unexpectedly died in 2023 at the age of 28.
Panettiere got her start in Hollywood as a child star. She starred in commercials before landing gigs on soap operas like “One Life to Live” in 1994 and “Guiding Light” in 1996.
While she’s best known for portraying Claire Bennet on “Heroes” and Juliette Barnes on “Nashville,” she’s also starred in projects like “Remember the Titans,” “Raising Helen,” “Ice Princess,” “Scream 4” and the TV movie “Amanda Knox.”
In 2014, Panettiere gave birth to her only child, daughter Kaya, with boxing champ Wladimir Klitschko.
Before her death, the actress had been vocal about her struggles with postpartum depression, substance abuse and being in the spotlight since she was a kid. She most recently opened up about her battles in her memoir, “This Is Me: A Reckoning,” which was released in May.
Page Six reported in July that Panettiere canceled her appearance at Creep I.E. Con at the last minute due to an emergency.
“Hayden Panettiere has an emergency and will not be able to attend this weekend. We are looking forward to her appearing at an upcoming show,” the convention shared via Instagram at the time.
A rep for Panettiere told Page Six that the cancellation was “due to a private family matter.”
Story developing…
Welcome to the Page Six Community!
Our community is about connecting people through open and thoughtful conversations. We want our readers to share their views and exchange ideas in a safe space.
In order to do so, we've created a simple set of rules that will improve your experience.
Simply put, keep it civil.
Your post will/might be rejected if it contains:
- Spam
- Insults, profanity, incoherent, obscene or inflammatory language and threats of any kind
- Attacks on the identity of other commenters or the article's author
User accounts will/might be blocked if we notice:
- Continuous attempts to re-post comments that have been previously moderated/rejected
- Racist, sexist, or homophobic comments
- Attempts or tactics that put the site security at risk
So, how can you be a power user?
- Stay on topic and share your passion. Feel free to elaborate to get your point across.
- 'Like' or 'Dislike' when you are filled with emotions!
- Protect your community. Use the report tool to alert us when someone breaks the rules.
Thanks for reading our community guidelines. Don't forget, freedom of speech is not the freedom of reach!
