Gayle King stated that Hayden Panettiere appeared to be "clearly still struggling" during an interview in May, three months prior to the actress's death at age 36. King shared her observations on Monday's broadcast of "CBS Mornings," describing Panettiere's passing as "so, so sad" and "heartbreaking."
King recounted that when she spoke with Panettiere off-camera during the May interview about her memoir, "This Is Me: A Reckoning," the actress expressed feeling she was in a good place. However, King perceived otherwise. "When she was here in the studio that day, and I was talking to her off-camera, she was saying she felt that she was in a good place," King said. "But she was still, clearly still struggling. To wake up to hear this news was really tough. She was so good. She would’ve turned 37 on Friday."
Panettiere died on Sunday in her South Carolina apartment. According to 911 dispatch audio, she suffered "cardiac arrest" from a suspected "overdose."
In her memoir, Panettiere detailed past struggles with alcohol and opioid addiction, her relationship with Brian Hickerson, and the death of her younger brother in 2023. During her May discussion with King, Panettiere had stated she was "better" and "healthier than [she’d] been in a long time," identifying herself as the "rawest version" of herself while acknowledging she was "still working on [her]self all the time."
Panettiere also spoke about her relationship with her 11-year-old daughter, Kaya, whom she shares with former fiancé Wladimir Klitschko. Panettiere relinquished custody of Kaya in 2018 but stated in May that she maintained a strong relationship with her daughter, speaking via FaceTime regularly and visiting as much as possible. She explained on "Red Table Talk" in 2022 that signing over custody was a difficult but necessary decision to ensure her daughter's well-being and allow herself time to heal and become a better mother.
During her final interviews, Panettiere had also hinted at future plans, expressing a desire to direct and write, and stated she felt she had "a lot more life left to live."