Hayden Panettiere dies at 36

Hayden Panettiere, the actor who became known to a wide audience through “Heroes” and built a screen career that began in childhood, has died at 36, her representative confirmed to CBS News and other U.S. news outlets.

Details surrounding her death were not released or immediately available.

“It is with profound sadness that we share the tragic passing of our beloved Hayden,” her father, Skip Panettiere, said in a statement issued through her representative. “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. We ask for privacy as our family takes time to process this unimaginable loss.”

Panettiere’s career spanned more than three decades across film and television. She was known for her breakout role in the hit sci-fi series “Heroes” and later starred in the television drama “Nashville.” Her film work included “Remember the Titans,” “Raising Helen” and the “Scream” horror franchise.

She began working as a child actor. The BBC reported that Panettiere was 4 years old when she was cast on the U.S. soap opera “One Life to Live.” CBS News reported that she had appeared in 50 commercials by the time she was 5.

In recent months, Panettiere spoke publicly about the pressures and difficulties of growing up in the entertainment industry. In May, she released a memoir, “This Is Me: A Reckoning,” in which she detailed her childhood as well as experiences with addiction, physical abuse and recovery.

“When your mother has chosen to take the 8-month-old baby into those audition rooms, and it went from there and progressed into 50 commercials by the time I was 5… It just never stopped,” the Golden Globe-nominated actor told CBS News’ Gayle King in May. “I didn’t care about anybody’s opinion but my mom’s, because I knew that if she was unhappy with my performance in any way, that the rest of the day was gonna be ruined.”

Panettiere also publicly addressed struggles after becoming a parent. In October 2015, she entered a treatment facility for postpartum depression after giving birth to her first child in December 2014. CBS News reported that in 2018 she gave full primary custody of her daughter, Kaya, to her ex-fiancé, Wladimir Klitschko.

Her death was confirmed by her representative, with her family asking for privacy as they process the loss. No further details about the circumstances were provided in the initial reports.