Hayden Panettiere, 'Heroes' and 'Nashville' actress, dies at 36; preliminary autopsy finds no signs of trauma
核心洞察
Hayden Panettiere, the two-time Golden Globe-nominated actor known for "Heroes" and "Nashville," died Sunday at age 36 in Greenville, South Carolina.
Preliminary autopsy results found no signs of trauma contributing to her death, with the cause and manner of death pending further investigation and additional studies.
Panettiere had spoken candidly about her struggles with addiction (搜索), postpartum depression (搜索), and mental health, documenting them in her memoir "This Is Me: A Reckoning."
Hayden Panettiere, the two-time Golden Globe-nominated actor who rose to fame as a cheerleader with supernatural powers on "Heroes" and a troubled country music diva on "Nashville," died Sunday in Greenville, South Carolina. She was 36. Her death has prompted parallel investigations by the Greenville County Coroner's Office and the Greenville City Police Department, with preliminary findings revealing no signs of trauma.
Emergency responders were dispatched to Judson Mill Lofts, an apartment complex west of downtown Greenville, at 1:51 p.m. Sunday following a 911 call reporting a cardiac arrest, according to a statement from the Greenville County coroner's office. Paramedics initiated "advanced cardiac life support measures," but Panettiere could not be resuscitated. She was pronounced dead at 2:32 p.m.
"First responders and Emergency Medical Services arrived on scene and located a female in cardiac arrest," the Greenville County Coroner's Office said in a statement. "EMS personnel initiated advanced cardiac life support measures; however, resuscitation efforts were unsuccessful, and the individual was pronounced deceased at 2:32 PM."
The coroner's office completed an autopsy Monday. "At autopsy no signs of trauma were discovered that would have contributed to the death," the statement read. "The cause and manner of death remain pending further investigation and the completion of additional studies."
The Greenville Police Department said Panettiere was unresponsive when officers and paramedics arrived, and that a preliminary investigation "has not indicated any signs of foul play or suspicious circumstances." Police said an acquaintance of Panettiere, who is unnamed, called 911.
A Life in the Public Eye
Panettiere was born Aug. 21, 1989, in Palisades, New York. Her father, Alan Lee "Skip" Panettiere, is a retired captain for the New York Fire Department, and her mother, Lesley Vogel, is an actor and producer. She first appeared on screen at 11 months old in a commercial, and by about age four had landed a role on the soap opera "One Life to Live."
Her breakout role came in 2006, when she was cast as Claire Bennet on NBC's "Heroes," a high school cheerleader with the power to rapidly heal from nearly any injury. She followed that success with another defining television role, country singer Juliette Barnes on "Nashville" from 2012 to 2018, a role for which she received two Golden Globe nominations for best supporting actress.
Candid About Addiction and Mental Health
Panettiere spoke frankly about her struggles with fame, addiction (搜索), and mental health, publishing a candid memoir, "This Is Me: A Reckoning," three months before her death. In the book, she described suffering from body dysmorphia for years because of harsh tabloid coverage.
She detailed entering treatment for the first time in 2015, when her daughter, Kaya, was four months old. She left sober and with a diagnosis of postpartum depression (搜索), but said she remained in denial about the severity of her alcohol use. Her first trip to rehab, she wrote, marked the start of a new addiction (搜索) to the medicine given to combat her anxiety.
"I'd walked into rehab addicted to one substance, and I'd walked out, completely dependent on something else," she said.
In 2020, Panettiere entered treatment for what became an eight-month stay. In her memoir, she detailed the painful withdrawal symptoms she experienced, writing that her "whole body shook" as her nervous system adjusted to sobriety. She revealed she had previously developed jaundice (搜索) and received an alarming warning from a doctor.
"A doctor told me that if I didn't stop drinking, I'd be dead within five years," she wrote.
Family Loss and a Daughter
Panettiere gave birth to her daughter, Kaya, with former fiancé and boxing champion Wladimir Klitschko, in 2014. She battled postpartum depression (搜索) and gave up custody of Kaya in 2018, a decision she called "heartbreaking."
In 2023, her younger brother and only sibling, Jansen Panettiere, died of heart complications at age 28. The family said the medical examiner determined that Jansen's sudden death was caused by cardiomegaly (搜索), or an enlarged heart, along with complications involving the aortic valve.
In a statement shared Sunday, Panettiere's father said: "It is with profound sadness that we share the tragic passing of our beloved Hayden. 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 onscreen."
The family asked for privacy "as our family takes time to process this unimaginable loss." The investigation into Panettiere's death remains active and ongoing, with no further details available for release at this time.