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Heroes and Nashville star Hayden Panettiere had a number of high-profile relationships and shares a child with former heavyweight champion boxer Wladimir Klitschko

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Showbiz

Sam HuntleySenior Showbiz & TV Reporter

10:39, 17 AUG 2026

Actress Hayden Panettiere has tragically died at the age of just 36

(Image: AFP via Getty Images)

Hayden Panettiere's death has shocked the world. Her father said 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 on-screen".

The US actress' family has asked in the statement for "privacy as our family takes time to process this unimaginable loss". No cause of death has been confirmed at this time.

Hayden had a string of high-profile relationships with other stars, including heavyweight boxing legend Wladimir Klitschko. She met the Ukranian boxer at a party and they began dating around 2009.

They went on to welcome their daughter Kaya in 2014 but split 2018, and Hayden opened up about the heartbreak she suffered at losing custody of Kaya to Klitschko. She was battling postpartum depression and addiction at the time.

In her memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning, she wrote: "Not being under the same roof with her every day has been the most gut-wrenching experience of my life, and its hard to describe the layers of emotion, including sadness, resentment, and anger, Ive felt because of it."

However, the star said: "Trust me, no one should ever have to raise a child on FaceTime, and although I miss Kaya so much my heart aches, I know how blessed I am to be her mom." Hayden and Klitschko had remained on good terms.

Hayden also dated some famous actors, including One Tree Hill star Stephen Colletti. The pair were in a relationship from 2006 until 2007, when Heroes was catapulting her to worldwide fame.

From 2007 to 2009, she dated her Heroes co-star Milo Ventimiglia. She said of their age gap: "At 18, I lived so much life that he almost couldn't count me as being 18. So Milo and I, even though he was 30, had a lot more in common than people might think."

Hayden dated another sports star from 2011 until 2012. Following her split from Klitschko, she dated New York Jets wide receiver Scotty McKnight.

She then had a highly turbulent relationship with actor Brian Hickerson, who was charged with domestic violence more than once during their relationship. In 2021, he served 45 days in prison after pleading no contest to two felony counts of injuring a spouse/cohabitant/girlfriend/child's parent.

He previously spoke about his arrest on accusations that he abused Hayden, telling TMZ: "I got arrested for, you know, abusing her, and I wouldnt blame her friends for being p***ed off at me."

The star was famed for her roles in the hit TV shows Heroes and Nashville, but she shot to fame years before. Hayden was a highly successful child actress who began appearing in adverts at just 11 months old.

Her full-time acting career took off when she played young Sarah Roberts, the daughter of Tina and Cord, in the ABC soap opera One Life to Live from 1994 to 1997.

She went on to play Lizzie Spaulding on the CBS soap Guiding Light between 1996 and 2000. She was homeschooled and had private tutors during her early years to accomodate her acting schedule.

Her film debut came as the voice Princess Dot in 1998's A Bug's Life. For this, she was nominated for a Grammy Award and a Young Artist Award.

She would go on to bag roles in in the Fox comedy Ally McBeal (2002), Malcom in the Middle, Raising Helen (2004) and the Disney Channel film Tiger Cruise (2004). She played Jessica in Malcom in the Middle between 2003 and 2005.

But Heroes would make her a global star at the age of 17. She played immortal cheerleader Claire Bennet in the series between 2006 and 2010.

Two years later, Hayden would land another of her iconic roles. She played singer Juliette Barnes in ABC's Nashville, which ran until 2018 and earned her two Golden Globe nods.

She also famously starred as Kirby Reed in the huge horror franchise Scream. She first appeared in Scream 4 before returning in Scream VI in 2023.

Video game lovers will also remember her as Kairi and Xion in the Kingdom Hearts series between 2002 and 2017. Hayden also voiced Samantha Giddings in Until Dawn (2015).

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(Image: Image Press Agency/NurPhoto/Shutterstock)1 of 20

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The US actress' family has asked in the statement for "privacy as our family takes time to process this unimaginable loss". No cause of death has been confirmed at this time.

(Image: @haydenpanettiere/Instagram)2 of 20

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Hayden had a string of high-profile relationships with other stars, including heavyweight boxing legend Wladimir Klitschko. She met the Ukranian boxer at a party and they began dating around 2009.

(Image: Photofab/Jaworski/Shutterstock)3 of 20