Nashville star Hayden Panettiere has died, aged 36

Hayden Panettiere, best known for her roles in Nashville, Heroes and the Scream franchise, has died aged 36.

“It is with profound sadness that we share the tragic passing of our beloved Hayden," her father Skip told ABC News.

"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,”

He also asked for privacy "as our family takes time to process this unimaginable loss."

Panettiere began as a child actor, with roles in Remember the Titans and the voice of Dot in Pixar's A Bug's Life, before playing Claire Bennet in the superhero drama Heroes.

She went on to star as country singer Juliette Barnes in the TV show Nashville for six seasons. This role earned her two Golden Globes for Best Supporting Actress and 11 entries on the US Billboard Hot Country Songs Chart.

Earlier this year the actress released her memoir This Is Me: A Reckoning. The book describes Panettiere's struggle with postpartum depression, addiction, domestic abuse, the death of her younger brother and the decision to give full custody of her daughter to her former partner, Ukrainian boxer Wladimir Klitschko.

 

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Under Panettiere's most recent Instagram post, Selma Blair wrote: "I love you. Don’t be gone. Don’t be gone. Please. Please," with two more comments saying "I love you whale tail my friend" and "I'm dying. Please be here."

Comments also saw tv host Rosie O'Donnell say, "oh my god - heartbroken."

Melissa Barrera posted on her Instagram story, "rest in peace sweet Hayden."

Actors’ union SAG-AFTRA, of which the actress had been a member, said in a post on X: "Our hearts are with her daughter, family, friends & fans."

One Tree Hill actress Bethany Joy Lenz also paid tribute on Instagram to the "wild little blonde."

"Her intelligence was astonishing. She understood scenes and nuance and human struggle like no child I’d ever seen on camera."

"I don't understand how this is real. Everything seemed to be turning around. She was coming BACK to life, wasn’t she?"

The cause of death currently remains unknown.