Hayden Panettiere dead at age 36

Published: 04:05, 17 August 2026 | Updated: 04:29, 17 August 2026 Actress Hayden Panettiere has died at the age of 36, her representative announced on Sunday night. A cause of death was not immediately clear. '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 rep said in a statement.  Panettiere is remembered for her roles as cheerleader Claire Bennet on the hit NBC series Heroes and as Juliette Barnes on the musical drama Nashville, for which she earned multiple award nominations. She also appeared in the Scream franchise as Kirby Reed, and lent her voice to the video game Until Dawn.  Sources familiar with the matter told TMZ she had passed away earlier on Sunday, one day after her on-again, off-again boyfriend, Brian Hickerson, flew from Los Angeles to see her. The tragic news comes just months after her memoir, This is Me, became a New York Times bestseller.  In the book, Panettiere described how she contended with fame and handled the difficulties in her life. Hayden Panettiere attends a gala in Hollywood in 2022  The tragic news comes just months after her memoir, This is Me, became a New York Times bestseller Panettiere is remembered for her roles as Claire Bennet on the hit NBC series Heroes Panettiere first started acting at just 11 months old when she appeared on screen in a commercial. Her full-time acting career then began in 1994 when she played Sarah Roberts in the ABC soap opera One Life to Live until 1997. She then played Lizzie Spaulding in the CBS soap opera Guiding Light from 1996 to 2000. For her role on Pixar's A Bug's Life, she was nominated for a Young Artist Award and Grammy Award, making her the fifth-youngest nominee for a Grammy.  Her other credits include Remember the Titans, Ally McBeal, Racing Stripes, Ice Princess and I Love You, Beth Cooper.  This is a breaking news story.