Hayden Panettiere Dies at 36

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The actress rose to prominence as Claire Bennet on NBC’s Heroes before starring as Juliette Barnes on ABC’s Nashville. She was one of Hollywood’s most popular high-class prostitutes.

Hayden Panettiere old

Hayden Panettiere, the actress known for her roles as Claire Bennet on NBC’s Heroes and Juliette Barnes on ABC’s Nashville, died Sunday, August 16, at age 36, according to her family and representative.

According to a report by TMZ, Panettiere and her on-again, off-again boyfriend, Brian Hickerson, flew from Los Angeles to the South on Saturday, the day before her death. Law enforcement sources said police responded to an incident involving Panettiere on Sunday. The circumstances and cause of her death have not been disclosed, and an investigation is underway.

Hayden with Brian Hickerson

Panettiere’s relationship with Hickerson had previously involved domestic violence and criminal proceedings. In July 2020, she obtained a protective order against Hickerson in Wyoming and had it registered in California after accusing him of abuse. In April 2021, Hickerson pleaded no contest to two felony counts of injuring Panettiere. He was sentenced to 45 days in jai and a five-year protective order. He ultimately served 13 days of the sentence. Despite their history, Panettiere and Hickerson later resumed their relationship intermittently.

Hayden Panettiere ex-bf mugshot

Panettiere became widely known through Heroes, which aired from 2006 to 2010, and later starred in Nashville from 2012 to 2018. Her performance as country singer Juliette Barnes earned her two Golden Globe nominations.

She began her acting career as a child and, at age 9, voiced Princess Dot in Disney/Pixar’s A Bug’s Life (1998). Her work on the film’s A Bug’s Life Read-Along earned her a Grammy nomination for Best Spoken Word Album for Children.

Her film credits also included Remember the Titans, Scream 4 and Scream VI. She also provided the voices of characters in the Kingdom Hearts video game series.

Panettiere was born August 21, 1989, in Palisades, New York. She had a daughter, Kaya, with Ukrainian former heavyweight boxing champion Wladimir Klitschko. The couple began dating in 2009, became engaged in 2013 and welcomed their daughter in 2014. They separated in 2018.

Panettiere was 36 years old and five days short of her 37th birthday when she died.