Wladimir Klitschko, the former boyfriend of Hayden Panettiere, offered a heartfelt homage to the “talented” late Nashville and Heroes star, saying that he “left this world too soon”.
The family is experiencing “profound shock and grief” after Panettiere’s death at the age of 36, according to the former world heavyweight boxing champion, who has an 11-year-old daughter with her.
Police said that there were “no signs of foul play or suspicious circumstances” when Panettiere passed away on Sunday in Greenville, South Carolina.
Wladimir Klitschko Pays Tribute to Hayden Panettiere
She had battled substance misuse for years, and recordings from police dispatchers and crews described their attempts to revive the lady following a potential “overdose” and stated they were responding to a “cardiac arrest.”
Although the cause of death has not been determined, the Greenville County Coroner’s Office said that the lady was treated in “cardiac arrest” and that her autopsy revealed “no signs of trauma”.
The news of Panettiere’s “tragic death saddens me deeply,” according to a post by Klitschko.She passed away far too quickly. Hayden was a significant part of my life and the mother of our daughter Kaya, even though he was no longer my partner.
After meeting in 2009, the couple announced their engagement in 2013. The following year, they welcomed a daughter into their family. They didn’t get married.
“I will always speak of our daughter Kaya’s mother with respect and make sure she remembers the person she was,” he went on.Hayden’s parents, friends, and fans are also hurting today, and I send them my sincere sympathies.
Hayden and other young, gifted people shouldn’t pass away so quickly.During this extremely trying time, I kindly urge everyone to respect our family’s sentiments and privacy.
This is all I have to say for the time being.I am grateful to everyone who has offered my family support and heartfelt condolences.
Hayden Panettiere's Strong Bond With Daughter Kaya
When Panettiere was nineteen, she met Klitschko, who was thirteen years her senior, at a party in Los Angeles.
Following the birth of their baby, the actress had severe postpartum depression and binge drank.
Klitschko assisted her in receiving therapy, but he requested that she give up custody when their daughter was three years old.
“Not being under the same roof with her every day has been the most gut-wrenching experience of my life, and it’s hard to describe the layers of emotion, including sadness, resentment, and anger I felt because of it,” Panettiere wrote in her autobiography, which was released earlier this year, after reluctantly agreeing.I’m sad that I’m not the mother I envisioned myself to be.
Friends and Co-Stars Remember Hayden Panettiere
“Bursting with genius”
Tributes from Panettiere’s friends, admirers, and other performers have been pouring in since the news of her passing surfaced on Monday.
Her co-star in the musical drama television series Nashville, Connie Britton, shared photos of the two of them on stage on Instagram.
Hayden was this. Shining so brilliant, bursting with light,” she captioned the photo.This melancholic melody is beyond words. Simply heartache,” she continued. “Girl, I adore you.” Go to sleep now.
Masi Oka, who previously starred with her in the supernatural drama series Heroes, expressed his “absolutely heartbroken” reaction to the news.
I had the honor of working directly with her, and I will never forget her lovely attitude, extraordinary talent, and the cheerful enthusiasm she infused into everything.
Beth Chamberlin Remembers Panettiere's Acting Talent
She was called “the most brilliant child actor I’ve ever seen” by Beth Chamberlin, who spent three years as her on-screen mother on the American soap opera Guiding Light.
She said on the internet, “The things she could do, the way she could remember 20+ pages of dialog, day after day.”
Hayden never once missed her blocking or forgot a line, even on days when the director would come out between dress [rehearsal] and tape and make massive changes to the sequences.
The grownups would, but Hayden wouldn’t.Working with her was a blessing. and consistently flawless in her scene-playing.
Earlier this year, Panettiere made her last big-screen appearance in the film Sleepwalker.
Hayden Panettiere Was Struggling Before Her Death
The actress was “struggling” on the set of the thriller in early 2025, according to her co-star Justin Chatwin.
“Hayden seemed different when I met her this time than when I met her in the early years,” Chatwin told People. “I’ve been sober for 15 years, so I know this world of addiction, and Hollywood – it takes, and it takes from youth.”
He also stated: “I could tell she was struggling, and I was like, ‘I don’t think it’s this movie’.”
“There’s a handful of women that I’ve worked with that I really liked, and I really loved working with her, but I also know that she was really lonely.”
