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Actor Hayden Panettiere, Star Of 'Heroes' And 'Nashville,' Dies At 36
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Hayden Panettiere, an actor known for her starring roles on shows like “Heroes” and “Nashville,” has died, her representative confirmed to ABC News. She was 36. Panettiere’s cause of death has not been released. “It is with profound sadness that we share the tragic passing of our beloved Hayden,” Panettiere’s father, Skip Panettiere, said in a statement. “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.” Panettiere worked for years as a child actor before becoming a global star for portraying cheerleader Claire Bennet on the superhero show “Heroes.” In addition to notable roles in the “Scream” and “Bring It On” franchises, she also did voice work for animated features (“American Dad!,” “Alpha and Omega,” “Dinosaur,” “A Bug’s Life”) and video games (“Until Dawn,” “Kingdom Hearts,” “The Mark of Kri”). From 2012 to 2018, Panettiere played spunky songstress Juliette Barnes on the hit music drama “Nashville,” earning two Golden Globe nominations for her performance. Panettiere also detailed the challenges of playing Barnes, whose storyline mirrored some of the issues she was grappling with in her own life. In recent years, Panettiere has shared her struggles with postpartum depression and substance abuse, and championed the importance of speaking openly about mental health. She welcomed her daughter Kaya with former fiancé Wladimir Klitschko in 2014, and has described navigating a traumatic birth and the depression that followed. “I wasn’t OK,” Panettiere wrote in her memoir “This Is Me: A Reckoning,” which came out in May. “I had to figure out how to bond with her. It felt like an insurmountable task, and I was only on the first day.” Panettiere emphasized that she always prioritized her daughter, including making the difficult decision to give Klitschko full custody in 2018. “I was going through a really challenging time in my life … I knew I needed to be able to put her first so that I could get the help I needed and be the mom she needed me to be,” Panettiere said in a July interview with Momé magazine. Panettiere was remembered by fans on Sunday for her memorable roles and the ways she used her platform to remove the stigma from conversations about parenthood and mental health. By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you're agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.