Hayden Panettiere was thinking about her legacy three months before her sudden death at the age of 36.
The actress, who died on Sunday of a suspected overdose, told fans on May 26: “I can hopefully leave the world a better place than I found it.”
She made the comment, which now seems chilling after her death, during a promotional event her memoir This Is Me: A Reckoningwhich detailed her toxic experience in Hollywood and her battles with grief, addiction and postpartum depression.
“So many people have come to me within the industry and outside the industry and shared their stories with me and said, ‘Because you talked about your mental health, it gave me the courage to be honest about mine and get help for myself, and you saved my life,’” Panettiere said at the time.
‘And I thought: this is worth it… the strength is in our vulnerability.’
Representatives for the former child star announced on Sunday: “It is with great sadness that we share the tragic passing of our beloved Hayden.”
Hayden Panettiere reflected on her legacy just three months before her sudden death at age 36. Above, in 2022
The actress, who died on Sunday, said at an event in LA to promote her memoir: ‘Hopefully I can leave the world a better place than I found it.’ Pictured on May 19 in New York
Known for her roles on the hit NBC series Heroes and the musical drama Nashville, Panettiere was remembered as “an incredible light and a force of nature.”
She had an 11-year-old daughter named Kaya after a life-threatening birth in 2014, but later gave full custody to her former fiancé, Ukrainian boxer Wladimir Klitschko.
Panettiere died after cardiac arrest after a suspected overdose in a South Carolina loft apartment.
Detectives confirmed to the Daily Mail that they responded to a 911 call on Sunday afternoon from an “acquaintance” of the star, describing her as “unresponsive.”
Narcan, a nasal spray used to reverse the effects of an opioid overdose, was found on a mattress in the loft apartment where the actress was staying, TMZ reported Monday. The Greenville County Sheriff’s Office said Panettiere’s autopsy has been completed and no signs of trauma were found on the star’s body.
A day earlier, she had arrived in Greenville with her boyfriend, Brian Hickerson.
Panettiere’s memoir This Is Me: A Reckoning was released in May
The former child star pictured in 2005
Panettiere mourned the loss of her younger brother Jansen Panettiere, who died in 2023 at the age of 28 from an enlarged heart. The siblings pictured in 2019
The author wrote in her book this year, “I never want to stop evolving and changing for the better, and I will forever be a work in progress.
“But one thing I know from my thirty-six years in the public eye is this: life is a process that evolves day by day, year by year, and – whether you like it or not – you are involved in a cycle of growth until the moment you breathe your last.”
Panettiere mourned the loss of her younger brother Jansen Panettiere, who died in 2023 at the age of 28 from an enlarged heart. She described his death as “the heartbreak of my life,” remembering him in her memoirs.
“There’s no easy way to share your story with the world, but the last thing I want is a downer,” she also wrote.
The actress stated, “I am an optimist at heart and refuse to let my tragedies define me.”
Panettiere started acting as a child, first appearing in commercials and soap operas.
She subsequently gained widespread recognition as the voice of Dot in Pixar’s 1998 film A Bug’s Life, and for her role in the 2000 sports drama Remember the Titans with Denzel Washington.
She later played cheerleader Claire Bennet in the superhero drama Heroes before starring as country singer Juliette Barnes in Nashville for six seasons.
She earned two Golden Globe nominations for Best Supporting Actress on the show, while her singing earned eleven entries on the US Billboard Hot Country Songs charts.
Panettiere’s film credits include 2006’s Bring It On: All or Nothing, the comedy-drama film Raising Helen, and appearances in Scream 4 and Scream VI as Kirby Reed.
