Hayden Panettiere expressed a desire for "world peace" in her final text message to musician friend Clayton Johnson, who shared the sentiment and other tributes following her death.
Panettiere died Sunday at the age of 36. Johnson took to Instagram on Monday to share details of their last exchange and mourn the loss of the "Heroes" and "Nashville" star.
"It’s been a couple of weeks since our last phone call, but the last thing you ever texted me was, ‘Honestly, people think it’s a joke to ask for world peace, but that would be me,'" Johnson revealed. He added, "That was you in a nutshell."
Johnson's post included a video of him and Panettiere singing together, accompanied by an emotional message. "Sweet Hayden. I spent last night trying to process, to try to find the right words, but there really aren’t any," he wrote. He also mentioned her late brother, Jansen, who died in February 2023. "More than anything, I hope you’re at peace now and reunited with Jansen," Johnson said. "I’m grateful I got to know you, and I’ll always be grateful for the memories. Fly high, Hayden. 🤍."
Panettiere's father, Skip, announced her death Sunday night, stating, "She was an incredible light and a force of nature who brought immeasurable love and joy to all who knew her — and to the millions who watched her on-screen."
Reports indicate Panettiere died in a South Carolina luxury apartment complex from suspected "cardiac arrest" following an overdose. Emergency responders were unable to revive her. The Greenville County Coroner’s Office confirmed Monday that an autopsy showed "no signs of trauma" and that authorities found "no signs of foul play."
Panettiere, who recently spoke about overcoming "darkness and negativity" and having "a lot more life to live," had made her last public appearance in May at an event for her memoir, "This Is Me: A Reckoning." In the book, she discussed postpartum depression, motherhood, and her experiences growing up in Hollywood. During a panel discussion for the memoir, Panettiere stated her hope was to "leave the world a better place than [she] found it."