American actress and singer Hayden Panettiere died in South Carolina on Sunday, August 16. She was 36 years old. An exact cause of death has not been confirmed, with authorities continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding her passing. Best known for playing indestructible cheerleader Claire Bennet on NBC’s superhero show Heroes from 2006 to 2010, Panettiere began her career as a child, appearing in films like A Bug’s Life (1998), Dinosaur, and Remember the Titans (2000). She was also well-known for starring in Scream 4 (2011) and VI (2023), on Nashville (2012–2018), and the original Until Dawn game (2015).
Panettiere was born in Palisades, New York, on August 21, 1989. Her mother, Lesley R. Vogel, was a soap opera actress, and Panettiere made her debut in a Playskool commercial, aged just 11 months old, before acting regularly on the soap One Life to Live from 1994 to 1997. Her association with Disney, which began with A Bug’s Life, continued with her co-starring in 2005’s Ice Princess, and to originating the role of female lead Kairi in the Kingdom Hearts games. She voiced the character in three games from 2002 to 2010, as well as Xion in Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance (2012).
Other work included Malcolm in the Middle (2003-05), Bring It On: All or Nothing (2006), and I Love You, Beth Cooper (2009). Her final role came in 2026’s psychological thriller Sleepwalker. She was nominated for multiple awards during her lifetime, including two Golden Globes for Nashville, and a Grammy for Best Spoken Word Album for Children for A Bug’s Life Read-Along. She received a Saturn, a Young Artist Award, and two Teen Choice Awards for Heroes, and a Young Artist Award for Remember the Titans.
Shortly before her death, Panettiere published a memoir, This is Me: A Reckoning. In it, she discussed her fraught relationship with her mother, whom she felt “groomed” her to be an actor, as well as receiving unwanted paparazzi attraction and sexual harassment during Heroes’ run, and becoming addicted to drugs and alcohol at a young age. She also revealed she was bisexual, saying she had multiple relationships with women throughout her life, but had been afraid to disclose it for various reasons.
Panettiere had three high-profile relationships. First, when she was 18, she began dating Heroes co-star Milo Ventimiglia, who was 30 at the time. She then dated Ukrainian boxer Wladimir Klitschko from 2009 to 2011, and again from 2013 to 2018. They became engaged, and had a daughter named Kaya in 2014. Panettiere struggled with postpartum depression and alcoholism, leading Klitschko to take sole custody of their child. She and Klitschko were still on good terms at the time of her death.
She subsequently began an abusive relationship with real estate agent and actor Brian Hickerson, who was arrested on domestic violence charges multiple times, until he pleaded no contest, and served 45 days in county jail in 2021. However, the two remained close friends, and he was seen by her side publicly in 2026, when she developed a “temporary nerve condition” that required her to use crutches.
Panettiere is survived by her daughter and her parents. She was preceded in death by her brother, and fellow actor Jansen, who died from a heart condition, aged 28, in 2023. Multiple tributes have followed, including one from Viola Davis, who worked with her on The Architect (2006) and Custody (2016).
She writes that Panettiere was “an old, wise soul with such a deep heart. I wish the world had more time with you because I had a burning curiosity about who you were becoming. I saw this beautiful Phoenix rising from the ashes. Your tests became your testimony, and your testimony became your legacy. You will be remembered. Rest well, Hayden. Sending healing prayers to your family, your daughter, and all who loved you.”
