Hayden Panettiere gaming career tribute: Eerie 'Kingdom Hearts' farewell was made day before death - watch video
Hayden Panettiere's death at 36 cast a shadow over a D23 performance where her character Kairi was honored.
At a D23 panel in Anaheim, California, on August 15, Haley Joel Osment and David Gallagher, the voice actors for Sora and Riku in the Kingdom Hearts franchise, performed a poignant scene involving Kairi, played by Hayden Panettiere. The performance, which featured the "Realm of Darkness" ending sequence, took on a deeply emotional tone after Panettiere's family confirmed her death the following day at the age of 36.
The scene, which involved Sora and Riku reuniting and preparing to continue their journey, ended with the two actors clasping hands and embracing. Panettiere had voiced Kairi throughout the Kingdom Hearts series, beginning with the original game in 2002 and continuing in subsequent installments. Her character is one of the seven Princesses of Heart and is closely linked to Sora and Riku.
The performance, while not initially presented as a tribute, gained a new significance after Panettiere's passing was publicly confirmed.
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