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

American actress and singer Hayden Panettiere, who rose to international fame through the television series Heroes and later found success as a singer on Nashville, has died at the age of 36.

Panettiere was found unresponsive in an apartment in Greenville, South Carolina, shortly before 2 p.m. on Sunday, August 16, 2026.

Police and emergency responders attempted lifesaving measures, but she was pronounced dead at the scene.

The Greenville Police Department said its preliminary investigation had found no signs of foul play or suspicious circumstances.

Authorities have not announced her cause of death. The Greenville County Coroner’s Office is expected to conduct an autopsy as investigations continue.

Her father, Skip Panettiere, confirmed her death in a statement shared with ABC News.

“It is with profound sadness that we share the tragic passing of our beloved Hayden,” Skip Panettiere said.

He described his daughter as an exceptional person whose presence brought happiness to her family, friends and millions of people who watched her work.

Panettiere was born in 1989 and began working in entertainment as a child, appearing in commercials and television programmes.

Her breakthrough came in 2006 when she was cast as Claire Bennet in NBC’s science-fiction series Heroes. Her character was a teenager with the ability to heal herself, and the show’s famous storyline centred on the phrase “Save the cheerleader, save the world.”

Her performance earned her three Teen Choice Awards and made her one of the most recognisable young television stars of the period.

She later moved into music and became widely known for playing aspiring country singer Juliette Barnes in the television drama Nashville.

Panettiere performed many of the character’s songs herself, with several recordings appearing on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart.

Her performance also earned her two Golden Globe nominations.Panettiere’s career also included appearances in films such as Remember the Titans and the Scream franchise. She returned to the role of Kirby Reed in Scream VI, released in March 2023, marking her return to acting after several years away from the spotlight.

ABC News reported at the time that Panettiere had taken a break from acting to focus on her mental, physical and spiritual health.

Away from the screen, Panettiere spoke openly about her struggles with alcohol addiction, postpartum depression and other mental-health challenges.

In a 2022 interview with Good Morning America and People, she described the period after the birth of her daughter as particularly difficult.

“I didn’t know where the alcoholism was ending and the postpartum was beginning,” Panettiere said. “And I ran myself pretty ragged.”

She also said the years after Nashville ended in 2018 had been difficult and that she needed time away from the public eye.

Panettiere became a mother in 2014 when she and her former fiancé, Ukrainian heavyweight boxer Wladimir Klitschko, welcomed their daughter, Kaya.

Her struggles with addiction and postpartum depression later affected her relationship with her daughter. Kaya eventually went to live primarily with Klitschko.

Panettiere continued to speak about her love for her daughter and the importance of maintaining their relationship.

In a 2026 interview, she rejected the idea that she had simply abandoned her child, saying her decision was made while she was struggling to recover and find stability. Her daughter is now 11.

Panettiere had also faced another major personal loss before her death.Her younger brother, actor Jansen Panettiere, died suddenly in February 2023 at the age of 28.

His family later said a medical examiner determined that he died from cardiomegaly, an enlarged heart, together with complications involving the aortic valve.

Hayden later spoke about the lasting effect of her brother’s death.

“I will always be heartbroken about it,” she told People in 2024.

She also said the loss was something she did not believe she would ever completely overcome.

Despite the personal difficulties she faced, Panettiere continued rebuilding her career. Her return as Kirby Reed in Scream VI came after a four-year break from acting, which she said had given her an opportunity to work on her health and wellbeing.

Panettiere would have turned 37 on Friday, August 21.

Her death leaves behind her daughter, Kaya, and a body of work spanning television, film and music.

Authorities have not yet released a cause of death, and any claims about what caused her death remain unconfirmed until the coroner’s findings are released.