LOS ANGELES: Hayden Panettiere, the U.S. actress best known for her roles in the television series “Heroes” and the “Scream” horror franchise, has died at the age of 36, her representative confirmed on Sunday.
Panettiere died on August 16, five days before her 37th birthday, according to multiple outlets that cited her representative. No cause of death was immediately disclosed.
“It is with profound sadness that we share the news of Hayden’s passing,” her father, Skip Panettiere, said in a statement. “She was an incredible light and a force of nature, and her spirit will live on in the hearts of everyone who knew her.”
Panettiere first gained widespread attention as a child actor before breaking through as Claire Bennet, the regenerating cheerleader in NBC’s superhero drama “Heroes” (2006–2010).
She later starred as country singer Juliette Barnes in ABC’s “Nashville” (2012–2018) and became a fixture in the “Scream” franchise, playing Kirby Reed in “Scream 4” (2011) and reprising the role in “Scream VI” (2023).
In May 2026, she published a memoir, ‘This Is Me: A Reckoning’, in which she spoke candidly about postpartum depression, addiction, and her decision to give primary custody of her daughter, Kaya, to her ex-partner, former heavyweight boxing champion Wladimir Klitschko.
She also revealed she had come out as bisexual and alleged that an Oscar-winning actor had exposed himself to her at a Hollywood party when she was a teenager.
As recently as July, Panettiere had been scheduled to appear at a horror convention in California for what was billed as a rare “Scream 4” reunion, but she canceled at the last minute due to an unspecified “emergency,” organizers said at the time.
Meanwhile, tributes from co-stars and fans began circulating on social media following the announcement of her death.
