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Hayden Panettiere, ‘Heroes’ and ‘Nashville’ Star, Dies at 36
By Aurax Desk | August 17, 2026 | 2 min read
Actress Hayden Panettiere, who rose to international prominence through television roles in “Heroes” and “Nashville,” has died at age 36, her family confirmed Sunday. The cause of death had not been disclosed as of Monday, and authorities were investigating the circumstances surrounding her death.
Hayden Panettiere became widely known for her role as Claire Bennet in “Heroes” before starring in the musical drama “Nashville.”
Panettiere began working as a performer as a child, appearing in commercials and television soap operas before establishing a film career that included “Remember the Titans,” “Raising Helen” and the “Scream” franchise. Her breakthrough came in 2006 when she was cast as Claire Bennet, a high school cheerleader with regenerative powers, on NBC’s science-fiction drama “Heroes,” which became a major television hit and made her one of the most recognizable young actors of the period. She later starred as country singer Juliette Barnes on “Nashville,” a role that combined acting and singing and earned her two Golden Globe nominations for supporting actress.
Panettiere also voiced Dot in Pixar’s “A Bug’s Life” and appeared in films including “Ice Princess,” “I Love You, Beth Cooper” and “Scream 4.” In 2026, she published the memoir “This Is Me: A Reckoning,” in which she discussed difficult experiences following the 2014 birth of her daughter, including postpartum depression and addiction. Panettiere was the mother of a daughter, Kaya, whom she shared with former fiancé and Ukrainian former heavyweight boxing champion Wladimir Klitschko. Her younger brother, actor Jansen Panettiere, died in 2023 at age 28.
Panettiere's death comes after a career spanning more than three decades, beginning with child-acting work in the 1990s and extending into television, film and voice acting. Her final screen appearance was in the 2026 psychological thriller “Sleepwalker,” in which she played a grieving mother experiencing sleepwalking episodes. The Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, of which she had been a member since childhood, also issued a statement mourning her death.
Sources: ABC News, The Associated Press, Reuters, NBC News and Fox News.