Actress Hayden Panettiere dies at 36, found in cardiac arrest

Actress Hayden Panettiere was found in cardiac arrest prior to her death, the Greenville County Coroner’s Office said in a press release Monday.

First responders and emergency medical services responded to a 911 call at a residence in Greenville, South Carolina, on Sunday and located Panettiere, 36, “unresponsive” and in cardiac arrest, the coroner’s office said. Responders “initiated advanced cardiac life support measures,” but resuscitation efforts were unsuccessful,” and the actress was “pronounced deceased at 2:32 PM,” officials said.

The coroner’s office said an autopsy was completed on Monday, and that “no signs of trauma were discovered that would have contributed to the death.”

Panettiere’s official cause and manner of death “remain pending further investigation and the completion of additional studies,” the coroner’s office added.

The release noted that Panettiere had been “temporarily staying” at the residence where she was found. The coroner’s office and Greenville City Police Department have since “initiated a parallel investigation” into her death, according to the release.

Panettiere‘s representative previously confirmed her death to ABC News on Sunday, saying an investigation into her death was “ongoing.”

In a statement, Panettiere’s father asked for privacy “as our family takes time to process this unimaginable loss.”

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

Beginning as a child star, with a long career in both TV and film, Panettiere is remembered for her roles as Claire Bennet on the hit series “Heroes” and as Juliette Barnes on the musical drama “Nashville.”

She also starred in “Remember the Titans,” “Raising Helen,” “Ice Princess” and “Scream 4.”

Panettiere had been candid about her struggles from child stardom through adulthood. She released a memoir this May titled “This Is Me: A Reckoning.”

In the memoir, she shared “a rare and intimate glimpse into her life behind closed doors, opening up about postpartum depression, addiction and recovery, trauma, domestic abuse, and loss,” according to a synopsis for her book.

She is the mother to one child, a daughter Kaya Klitschko, whom she had in 2014 with her ex-fiance, heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko.

In an interview with “Good Morning America” in 2022, Panettiere opened up about grappling with alcoholism and postpartum depression.

“I didn’t know where the alcoholism was ending and the postpartum was beginning,” Panettiere said. “And I ran myself pretty ragged.”

She said the years that followed her role on “Nashville” had “been difficult.” She said, “The years before were very difficult for me, too. And I just needed a break.”

Panettiere went on to reprise her role as Kirby Reed in the “Scream” franchise, which was released in March 2023.

Her brother, Jansen Panettiere, died suddenly in February 2023 from cardiomegaly (enlarged heart) coupled with aortic valve complications, his family said in a statement at the time. He was 28.

Hayden Panettiere spoke openly about her grief, saying in an interview with People two years after his death, “I will always be heartbroken about it.”

“I will never be able to get over it,” she told the outlet. “No matter how many years go by, I will never get over his loss.”

Panettiere would have turned 37 years old on Friday.