The final project of actress Hayden Panettiere, who died at age 36, has been revealed as a campaign for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). Panettiere was found deceased on Sunday at an Airbnb in Greenville, South Carolina, with officials suspecting an overdose. She had been in South Carolina with her on-off boyfriend Brian Hickerson.
PETA released a video on Tuesday featuring Panettiere, filmed in the weeks before her death. In the ad, she poses in a bathtub, drawing a parallel between the confined space and the lives of whales and dolphins in captivity at marine amusement parks. "Imagine spending your entire life in a bathtub. That's what it's like for dolphins and whales in tiny tanks at marine amusement parks," Panettiere stated in the clip. She also spoke of the frustration, trauma, and depression these animals may experience due to their lack of freedom.
Panettiere had a history of advocacy for ocean animals. At 18, she participated in the 2007 documentary "The Cove," which exposed Japanese dolphin hunting practices. In a segment filmed for the documentary, she joined activists in Taiji, Japan, confronting fishermen. Despite reports of a potential arrest warrant in Japan, Panettiere maintained her stance, criticizing what she called "outdated, senseless cultural traditions and lazy, bad habits that are resulting in the annihilation of our planet's resources and the extinction of our species."
Her battle with alcohol and opiates was long-standing. In 2020, she spent eight months in rehab after a doctor warned her that continued drinking could be fatal within five years. As part of her recovery, Panettiere voluntarily relinquished custody of her now 11-year-old daughter, Kaya, to the child's father, Ukrainian boxer Wladimir Klitschko, with whom she maintained an amicable co-parenting relationship.
Her memoir detailed the emotional difficulty of not being with her daughter daily, describing feelings of sadness, resentment, and anger. The book also touched on her estranged relationship with her mother, who had been her manager during her childhood.
Justin Chatwin, Panettiere's co-star in her last film, "Sleepwalker," reflected on her apparent loneliness during the filming last year. He noted that while she was a sweet person and a talented actress, he could sense her struggles. Chatwin, who has been sober for 15 years, recognized signs of addiction and suggested that the pressures of Hollywood and personal life may have contributed to her difficulties. "She opened up to me about a lot of things," Chatwin told People. "I could tell she was struggling, and I was like, 'I don't think it's this movie.'"
An autopsy report found no signs of trauma that would have contributed to Panettiere's death. Her boyfriend, Brian Hickerson, was present at the scene with his brother Zachary when she was pronounced dead. Hickerson has a history of domestic violence, including a prior jail sentence for abusing Panettiere.