Hayden Panettiere, the actress and singer best known for her dual roles as an indestructible cheerleader on Heroes and a rising country star on Nashville, has died. She was 36.
Panettiere was found unresponsive Sunday afternoon in an apartment in Greenville, South Carolina, where she had been temporarily staying. Emergency responders arrived after a 911 call reporting cardiac arrest around 1:51 p.m. They performed CPR and advanced cardiac life support, but she was pronounced dead at the scene at 2:32 p.m. An autopsy completed the following day found no signs of trauma. The official cause of death remains pending further investigation, including toxicology results.
Her father, Skip Panettiere, confirmed the news in a statement. “It is with profound sadness that we share the tragic passing of our beloved Hayden,” he said. “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. We ask for privacy as our family takes time to process this unimaginable loss.”
Reports indicate that Narcan was found inside the apartment and that first responders referenced a possible overdose in dispatch communications. Two ambulances responded to the scene. Authorities have said there are no preliminary signs of foul play.
Panettiere’s connection to music ran deep. On ABC’s Nashville (2012–2018), she played Juliette Barnes, a ambitious country singer navigating fame, rivalries and personal turmoil. The role earned her two Golden Globe nominations for best supporting actress and put several of her character’s songs on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. She performed many of the tracks herself, bringing a mix of vulnerability and steel that resonated with both TV audiences and country fans.
Her career began much earlier. Born Aug. 21, 1989, in Palisades, New York, she started working as a baby in commercials and landed soap-opera roles before she was 10. She voiced Princess Dot in Pixar’s A Bug’s Life, earning a Grammy nomination at age 9, and appeared in Remember the Titans opposite Denzel Washington. In 2006 she broke through nationally as Claire Bennet on NBC’s Heroes, the cheerleader with regenerative powers who became one of the show’s most recognizable faces.
She later returned to the Scream franchise as Kirby Reed in Scream 4 and Scream VI. In May of this year she published her memoir This Is Me: A Reckoning, in which she wrote candidly about postpartum depression, substance use and the pressures of growing up in the public eye.
Panettiere is survived by her parents and her daughter, Kaya.
