New Delhi: Hollywood’s 2000s sweetheart Hayden Panettiere’s family shared on 16 August that the actor has died. The cause of death has not been disclosed. Panettiere was 36 at the time of her death.
“It is with profound sadness that we share the tragic passing of our beloved Hayden. 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,” her father, Skip, said in a statement.
Known for her role in NBC’s superhero drama series Heroes (2006-2010) and the ABC musical drama Nashville (2012-2018), Panettiere’s first television appearance was on the show One Life to Live (1994-1997). However, her breakout role came in the fictionalised sports film Remember the Titans (2000)
Panettiere started her career at the age of eleven, appearing in a commercial for a Playskool toy train.
She continued working in different television roles. In 1999, she earned a Grammy nomination for voicing Princess Dot in Pixar’s A Bug’s Life, making her one of the youngest artists ever nominated for the Best Spoken Word Album for Children.
Fame came to her with Tim Kring’s Heroes, where she played Claire Bennet, a cheerleader with healing powers. The role made her a favourite at science-fiction conventions, and she was regularly invited to events including Gen Con, New York Comic Con and Fan Expo Canada.
She went on to star as the up-and-coming country singer Juliette Barnes in Nashville, which ran for six seasons and allowed her to showcase her musical abilities. Her performance as Barnes earned her two Golden Globe nominations for Best Supporting Actress, while songs from the show featuring Panettiere appeared 11 times on the US Billboard Hot Country Songs chart.
Earlier this year, she published a memoir titled This Is Me: A Reckoning, in which she spoke openly about her addiction, postpartum depression and recovery.
“Directors, fans, and Mom praised me endlessly for my over-the-top dramatic responses. Subconsciously, I began to associate catastrophe with adoration; people loved me because make-believe bad things happened to me,” she wrote.
Fans online are already speculating about Panettiere’s death, which occurred months after she spoke against the toxic culture present in Hollywood.
“This is a horrible tragedy,” wrote one fan on X.
“Still processing this sad news. Hayden Panettiere, gone at just 36. Her talent, her spirit, her light… all taken too early. Gone far too soon. Rest in peace, Hayden,” posted another.
Others are choosing to remember the actor by rewatching her in iconic teen dramas such as Bring It On: All or Nothing (2006), Raising Helen (2004), and Ice Princess (2005)
(Edited by Insha Jalil Waziri)