Hayden Panettiere, known for her roles in the television series "Heroes" and "Nashville," has died at the age of 36. Representatives confirmed her passing on Sunday, describing her as "an incredible light and a force of nature."
Panettiere's memoir, "This Is Me: A Reckoning," was released approximately three months before her death. In the book, she detailed her experiences with fame and personal struggles. The cause of her death was not immediately announced. Law enforcement sources have confirmed to TMZ that an investigation into an incident involving the actress is ongoing.
Sources told the outlet that Panettiere had recently been experiencing back pain, and her on-again, off-again boyfriend, Brian Hickerson, reportedly traveled from Los Angeles to be with her the day before her passing.
Panettiere began her acting career at 11 months old, appearing in a commercial. Her full-time acting career started in 1994 with a role in the ABC soap opera "One Life to Live." She also held a role in the CBS soap opera "Guiding Light." Her performance in Pixar's "A Bug's Life" earned her nominations for a Young Artist Award and a Grammy Award, making her one of the youngest Grammy nominees ever.
Her notable television roles included cheerleader Claire Bennet in NBC's "Heroes" and Juliette Barnes in the musical drama "Nashville." She also appeared in the "Scream" film franchise as Kirby Reed and lent her voice to the video game "Until Dawn."
In 2018, Panettiere relinquished custody of her daughter to her ex-partner, boxer Wladimir Klitschko, citing struggles with postpartum depression. She leaves behind an 11-year-old daughter.
Panettiere also contributed music to projects she was involved in, recording songs for films such as "Tiger Cruise" and "Ice Princess." Her independent single "Wake Up Call" was released in 2008.
More recently, Panettiere publicly came out as bisexual. In an interview with Us Weekly in May, she stated, "I'm comfortable saying I'm bisexual. I'm comfortable to confidently say that, yes, I am bisexual."
She shared that she had secretly dated women from a young age but had not felt courageous enough to fully embrace that aspect of her identity until later in life, citing a fear of having to hide a relationship.