Friends and fellow entertainers are paying tribute to Hayden Panettiere, the actress and singer who died this week at 36.
Panettiere — best known for playing country star Juliette Barnes on Nashville and cheerleader Claire Bennet on Heroes — was confirmed dead by her family on Aug. 17. A cause of death has not been disclosed.
“It is with profound sadness that we share the tragic passing of our beloved Hayden,” her father, Skip Panettiere, said in a statement, describing his daughter as “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 asked for privacy as the family processes the loss.
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Among the first to react to the news was actress and close friend Selma Blair, who commented on Panettiere’s final Instagram post. “I love you. Don’t be gone. Don’t be gone. Please. Please,” she wrote.
“I love you whale tail my friend,” she added. Another read, “I’m dying. Please be here.”
Author and podcast host Jay Shetty, who interviewed Panettiere on his podcast earlier this year, shared his shock in a comment on Variety’s announcement of her death.
“I can’t believe it. Our friendship had just begun and I was so moved by the conversation we shared earlier this year,” Shetty wrote. “My love and condolences to her family and fans.” Her Scream co-star David Arquette, who had appeared alongside her at a horror convention in February, also responded to the news, writing simply, “I love you Hayden.”
7th Heaven actress Beverley Mitchell also left a tribute beneath the same post. “Praying the news is wrong! You are such a bright light and soooo loved,” she wrote.
Comedian and television host Rosie O’Donnell shared a photo of Panettiere to her own Instagram, writing, “Oh my god – heartbroken.” Jeremy Renner offered his condolences with a brief message: “Bless you and your family.”
The SAG-AFTRA Actors union also issued a statement, writing: “We join in mourning the sudden passing of Hayden Panettiere.”
The tributes reflected the breadth of a career that began in childhood and spanned commercials, soap operas, film, network television and music across more than three decades. Panettiere began performing as a child before achieving global fame with Heroes in 2006, and went on to earn two Golden Globe nominations for Nashville, in which she starred from 2012 to 2018.
The show’s companion soundtracks, released through Big Machine Records, regularly charted on the Billboard 200 and Billboard’s country and soundtrack tallies, and her recordings as Juliette Barnes — including “Undermine,” a duet with co-star Charles Esten that reached Billboard’s Digital Song Sales chart in 2012 — became fan favorites among country listeners. She also released music earlier in her career, signing with Hollywood Records during the height of Heroes and putting out the 2008 single “Wake Up Call.”
Panettiere is survived by her father, Skip Panettiere, and her daughter, Kaya. Her death comes a little more than two years after that of her younger brother, actor Jansen Panettiere, who died in February 2023 at 28.
