Hayden Panettiere, 'Heroes' and 'Nashville' actress, dies at 36

American actress Hayden Panettiere, known for her roles in television shows such as “Nashville” and “Heroes,” has died at the age of 36, U.S. media outlets including ABC News reported on Sunday, citing a statement from her father.
“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 on-screen,” ABC quoted her father, Alan “Skip” Panettiere, as saying in a statement.
The cause of her death was not reported by ABC. Her agency did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters.
A former child actor, Panettiere began her career at a young age and went on to establish herself across film and television. She gained early widespread recognition for voicing Dot, the young princess ant, in Pixar’s 1998 animated hit “A Bug’s Life.” Her work on the film’s read-along album earned her a Grammy nomination for Best Spoken Word Album for Children.
Panettiere shot to international fame in 2006 when she was cast as Claire Bennet, a high school cheerleader with regenerative superpowers, on NBC’s serialized science-fiction drama “Heroes.” The series became a major television hit and made Panettiere one of the most recognizable young stars of the period. Her character’s repeated declaration, “Save the cheerleader, save the world,” became closely associated with the show.
She also appeared in the 2000 football drama “Remember the Titans,” starring Denzel Washington, further establishing her presence on the big screen.
Panettiere later took on one of her most prominent television roles as Juliette Barnes in the musical drama “Nashville.” Her performance as the ambitious and troubled country music star earned her two Golden Globe nominations, in 2013 and 2014, for Best Supporting Actress in a Television Series, Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television.
Her film credits also included appearances in the satirical horror “Scream” franchise, adding to a career that moved between television drama, comedy, animation and film.
Panettiere’s most recent appearance was in the psychological thriller “Sleepwalker,” released in the United States in January 2026, according to IMDb. In the film, she played a grieving mother plagued by episodes of sleepwalking.
Her death comes three years after the death of her younger brother, actor Jansen Panettiere, who died in 2023 at the age of 28 from complications related to an enlarged heart and an aortic-valve condition, according to a family statement made to U.S. media at the time.
Panettiere leaves behind a body of work spanning more than two decades, from childhood performances to roles that made her a familiar face to television and film audiences around the world. -Reuters