Hayden Panettiere, Star of ‘Nashville’ and ‘Heroes,’ Dies at 36

Hayden Panettiere, an American actress and singer, has died at the age of 36. Her representative confirmed her death, and her father, Skip Panettiere, released a statement expressing profound sadness and describing her as "an incredible light and a force of nature" who brought joy to those who knew her and to audiences worldwide.

Panettiere had a prolific career spanning over three decades, with credits including TV series such as "Heroes" and "Nashville", as well as films like "Remember the Titans" and "Scream 4". She began acting as a child, appearing in commercials before her first birthday, and later starred in soap operas like "One Life to Live" and "Guiding Light". Her breakthrough role came in 2006 as Claire Bennet in "Heroes", and she later earned Golden Globe nominations for her role as Juliette Barnes in "Nashville".

In May, Panettiere published a memoir, "This Is Me: A Reckoning", which detailed her experiences with addiction, physical abuse, and her recovery, as well as her childhood and her decision to give full custody of her daughter to her former partner, boxer Wladimir Klitschko. According to CBS News, Panettiere spoke publicly about the struggles of life in the spotlight as a young actor, saying that she didn't care about anyone's opinion but her mom's when she was growing up. The cause of her death has not been disclosed.

Brief written by urgent.news from The New York Times, CBS News, Free Malaysia Today, CityNews, Billboard — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.