Michelle Rodriguez has voiced concern over the perceived increase in young celebrity deaths, calling the trend "not normal." Her remarks came at the 25th anniversary screening of "The Fast and the Furious" in Los Angeles on Monday, shortly after the passing of actress Hayden Panettiere at age 36.
"I’ve got to tell you, man, I just can’t stand how many young people are leaving us lately," Rodriguez, 48, told Variety. "It’s disheartening, and it’s making me think, ‘What’s going on?’ It’s not normal. I don’t want to speculate about anything, but it’s weird."
Rodriguez noted the "amount and the volume" of deaths within the entertainment industry since 2010. She recalled co-hosting the World Music Awards with Panettiere in 2010 and remembered the late actress for her "curious spirit and how happy and joyous she is."
Panettiere was found unresponsive and in cardiac arrest at an Airbnb in Greenville, South Carolina, on Sunday afternoon. A 911 dispatch call indicated an "overdose" and that CPR was in progress. Medics attempted resuscitation, but she was pronounced dead at 2:32 p.m.
Panettiere, who had been open about her struggles with addiction and postpartum depression, was reportedly experiencing "really severe" back pain prior to her death. Her memoir, "This Is Me: A Reckoning," released in May, detailed the negative impact of child stardom on her life. The notes also mentioned that fellow former child stars Michelle Trachtenberg and Daveigh Chase also died in their 30s after grappling with addiction and the effects of early fame.