Hayden Panettiere: US actress who starred in Heroes and Nashville dies aged 36

US actress Hayden Panettiere - best known for her roles in the TV series Heroes and Nashville - has died aged 36.

"It is with profound sadness that we share the tragic passing of our beloved Hayden," her father Skip said in a statement to Sky's US partner NBC 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."

Her father went on to ask for privacy "as our family takes time to process this unimaginable loss".

Panettiere had also starred in the Scream franchise of horror movies.

Further details surrounding the circumstances of her death were not immediately available.

Earlier this year, Panettiere had released her memoirs This Is Me: A Reckoning, in which she opened up about her experiences with postpartum depression, addiction and recovery.

This led to her decision to give up custody of her only child Kaya in 2018, who she shares with her former partner Wladimir Klitschko, the Ukrainian professional boxer.

Panettiere first appeared in commercials when she was just 11 months old - and went on to become a child actor with roles in soap operas including One Life To Live and Guiding Light.

Her feature film debut came when she was nine years old, as the narrator and voice of Princess Dot in A Bug's Life.

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Panettiere, who would have turned 37 on Friday, was propelled to fame in 2006 through her role as a cheerleader with super powers in Heroes.

When she later recalled the first time she was tracked by paparazzi after the show's release, Panettiere said the moment was "was just sheer terror".

On the show's appeal, Panettiere said: "I think 'Heroes' is really hot because it's just a really great combination of everything that people love - they love reality, they love sci-fi and things like X-Men where they get to dream of something bigger.

"And at the core of it are these human stories that people can relate to, very rugged. And it's just grabbed everyone in every age group."

She went on to win three Teen Choice Awards for the role.

Panettiere later played a brash country music upstart in Nashville, which ran for four seasons on US broadcaster ABC, before being cancelled and revived on CMT.

The actor did her own singing in the show, which earned her some hits on the country music charts and two Golden Globes supporting actress nominations.

In 2024, she described pain and grief after her younger brother died unexpectedly of an undiagnosed heart condition the previous year.

"When you lose somebody that you saw in all the important moments in your life, standing right next to you, it just rocks your world," she told NBC's Today show.

(c) Sky News 2026: Hayden Panettiere: US actress who starred in Heroes and Nashville dies aged 36