Hayden Panettiere Dead at 36: Here’s Everything We Know

Former Nashville star Hayden Panettiere has died at the age of 36, and fans are clamoring for any information they can get about the circumstances surrounding her tragic passing.

Who Was Hayden Panettiere?

Hayden Panettiere was an actor who began her career as a child star, appearing in television shows and films including One Life to Live, Guiding Light, Message in a Bottle, Remember the Titans and more.

She shot to fame for her role on Heroes, but country fans remember her primarily for her role as country singer Juliette Barnes on Nashville.

How Did Hayden Panettiere Die?

The actor died on Sunday (Aug. 16), at an apartment in Greenville, S.C.

Initial reports suggest that Panettiere — who had a long history of abuse, depression and addiction — died of an overdose, but toxicology has not yet confirmed those reports.

What Has Hayden Panettiere's Family Said About Her Death?

Panettiere's mother, Lesley Vogel, tells NBC News that she and the rest of Panettiere's family had been hoping she would get away from her boyfriend, Brian Hickerson, for years.

He and his brother, Zach Hickerson, were both present when Panettiee went into cardiac arrest at an apartment in Greenville on Sunday.

Zach was reportedly very upset, while Brian Hickerson reportedly only became emotional after Panettiere was pronounced dead.

"I think Hayden was an amazingly talented person in so many departments and I think young people who grow up in the entertainment industry — it is a struggle and it's a very challenging industry and it's not unusual for them to sadly find the wrong path," Vogel says (quote via TMZ).

READ MORE: See the Cast of Nashville, Then + Now

Did Hayden Panettiere Struggle With Addiction?

Yes.

The actor was very upfront about the fact that she had battled addiction for much of her life, crediting what she said was an abusive childhood at the hands of her mom for many of her troubles.

In her 2026 memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning, she opened up about her struggles with addiction, mental health and more, revealing that she had surrendered custody of her daughter, Kaya, to the child's father, Panettiere's ex-fiancé Wladimir Klitschko.

"The announcement of Hayden's tragic death saddens me deeply," Klitschko wrote on Instagram, alongside a photo of himself with Panettiere and their now-11-year-old daughter.

"She built an incredible career through immense talent, while also facing the darker sides of a very demanding industry," Klitschko continued. "Nothing will erase the times we shared or the place she had in our lives.

"She left this world far too soon. Hayden was, although no longer my partner, an important part of my life and the mother of our daughter, Kaya."

In his statement, Klitschko promised, "To our daughter Kaya, I will always speak of her mother with respect and make sure she remembers the person she was."

When Is Hayden Panettiere's Funeral?

Funeral plans are to be announced.