Hayden Panettiere, the unforgettable heroine of Heroes, died at 36

Revealed to the general public in Heroes before continuing her career in Nashville and Scream 4, the actress died suddenly this Sunday. The causes of his death have not been communicated at this stage.

“Save the cheerleader, save the world.”

For an entire generation of viewers, these few words will remain inseparable from Hayden Panettiere. In Heroesthe actress played Claire Bennet, the cheerleader with regenerative powers that the heroes of the series absolutely had to save. A role that propelled her to stardom at just 16 years old.

His death was confirmed by his representative to ABC News. “It is with immense sadness that we announce the tragic passing of our beloved Hayden. She was an incredible light and force of nature who brought immense love and joy to all who knew her, and to the millions who watched her on screen.”declared his representative.

Born in 1989, Hayden Panettiere began acting at the age of 5, in soap operas One Life to Live Then Guiding Light. After a notable first role in The Most Beautiful of Fights in 2000, in 2006 she won that of Claire Bennet in Heroes. She appeared in 73 episodes of the NBC series, which became one of the great television phenomena of its time.

After Heroesshe enjoyed another great success with Nashvillein which she played singer Juliette Barnes for six seasons. The role earned him two Golden Globe nominations. In the cinema, she also became a familiar figure in the horror genre thanks to Scream 4where she plays Kirby Reed, a character who has become cult with fans and whom she meets again in 2023 in Scream VI.

But behind this career that began at a very young age, the actress’s life was particularly tumultuous. In his book This Is Me: A Reckoningpublished in May 2026, Hayden Panettiere looked back in particular on her childhood in the spotlight, her difficult relationship with her mother and the violence she says she suffered during her career in Hollywood.

She had also spoken publicly about her alcohol and drug problems and her time in a rehab center in 2020. In 2023, she faced another tragedy with the sudden death of her younger brother Jansen Panettiere, who died at just 28 years old from a heart problem. The actress was also the mother of a daughter, Kaya, born from her relationship with boxer Wladimir Klitschko.