Actor Hayden Panettiere has died at the age of 36, her representative told Business Insider on Monday.
“It is with deep sadness that we share the tragic passing of our beloved Hayden. She was an incredible light and force of nature who brought immeasurable love and joy to all who knew her – and to the millions who watched her on screen,” her father, Skip Panettiere, said in a statement.
“We ask for privacy as our family takes time to process this unimaginable loss,” the statement said.
Around 1:51 p.m. Sunday, a 911 call regarding cardiac arrest was received at Judson Mill Lofts, an apartment complex in Greenville, South Carolina, the Greenville County Coroner’s Office told Business Insider on Monday.
According to the coroner’s office, first responders found Panettiere in cardiac arrest when they arrived on the scene. Resuscitation efforts were unsuccessful and she was pronounced dead at 2:32 p.m.
According to the coroner’s office, an autopsy was performed and found no signs of trauma that would have contributed to her death.
An investigation is underway.
Hayden Panettiere. Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images
The life and legacy of Hayden Panettiere
Panettiere began her acting career as a child, with one of her first major roles as Sarah Roberts on the ABC soap opera “One Life to Live,” on which she appeared from 1994 to 1997.
She later became widely known for playing Claire Bennet in the hit series ‘Heroes’ and Juliette Barnes in the musical drama ‘Nashville’.
In her memoirsreleased on May 19, Panettiere wrote about her struggle with postpartum depression after the birth of her daughter in 2014.
“It wasn’t panic that was in my chest. It was nothing. A total blackout of emotions, as if my soul was dead,” she wrote.
To cope with her symptoms, she turned to alcohol to get “those happy hormones,” she wrote.
“The first thing I thought about when I woke up was alcohol. Not my child, not my job, and not the rest of my life. I needed a drink to function – at 6am,” Panettiere wrote.
In 2018, Panettiere signed over full custody of her daughter to the child’s father, Wladimir Klitschko, saying she believed it was best for her daughter.
During this period of personal struggle, Panettiere also filmed “Nashville,” in which she starred from 2012 to 2018.
In a May appearance on Jay Shetty’s “On Target” podcastshe said her character’s storylines increasingly reflected what she was experiencing in her own life.
“It felt like it never ended. I didn’t know where Juliet started and Hayden ended,” she told Shetty.
Panettiere said she initially thought the parallels were “coincidence,” but ultimately felt like she was living her experiences twice.
“I couldn’t breathe. There was no interruption,” she said.
