Hayden Panettiere, Heroes And Nashville Star, Dead At 36

Actress Hayden Panettiere, best known to TV fans for starring on "Heroes" and "Nashville," has died, TVLine has confirmed. She was 36. 

Panettiere's father, Skip Panettiere, announced the news of her death in a statement to ABC News on Sunday: "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."

A cause of death has not been reported.

Panettiere got her start as a child actress, playing Sarah Roberts on "One Life to Live" from 1994 to 1997, and Lizzie Spaulding on "Guiding Light" from 1997 to 2000. She went on to appear in TV series such as "Ally McBeal," "Law & Order: SVU," and "Malcolm in the Middle" before landing a starring role on NBC's "Heroes" in 2006. She played Claire Bennet, a virtually indestructible high school cheerleader, in all four seasons until the series ended in 2010. 

Panettiere later starred as country singer Juliette Barnes on "Nashville." The series premiered in 2012 on ABC, where it stayed for four seasons until it moved to CMT in 2016 for two additional seasons.

On the film side, Panettiere's credits included "Remember the Titans," "Raising Helen," "Ice Princess," "Bring It On: All or Nothing," "I Love You, Beth Cooper," and "Scream 4." Her most recent credit came in 2026 for the psychological thriller "Sleepwalker." In May, she released a memoir, "This Is Me: A Reckoning," reflecting on childhood fame, motherhood, mental health, and the loss of her younger brother, Jansen Panettiere, who died in 2023.