Actor Hayden Panettiere dies at age 36

Hayden Panettiere, the actor best known for the TV series Heroes and Nashville, died on Sunday, August 17, at the age of 36. Her father, Skip Panettiere, confirmed her death in a statement to ABC News. She would have turned 37 the following Friday.

A 911 call was placed by someone who knew her. Dispatch audio included references to an overdose and cardiac arrest, but no official cause of death has been announced. Investigators found no signs of foul play.

Panettiere had spoken openly about struggles with addiction and postpartum depression. In 2023, her younger brother died suddenly from an undiagnosed heart condition.