Hollywood is mourning the tragic loss of Hayden Panettiere at age 36.
The Heroes and Nashville alum’s representative confirmed to Us on Sunday, August 16, that the actress had died. Details surrounding Panettiere’s death were not immediately available.
“It is with profound sadness that we share the tragic passing of our beloved Hayden,” Panettiere’s father, Skip Panettiere, said in a statement. “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.”
Skip asked for privacy “as our family takes time to process this unimaginable loss.”
As news broke late Sunday, celebrities from around the world have expressed their grief and memories of the late actress.
Keep scrolling to see which stars have reacted:
Alyssa Milano
Milano praised Hayden for advocating for animal rights, postpartum depression, addiction, recovery, abuse and more, writing via Instagram, “I hope people remember this part of her and that it doesn’t get lost in the noise, the headlines, or the flattening of public figures into story and spectacle.”
“Hayden understood something simple and difficult: visibility is not just something you are given, but something you can give away,” Milano wrote. “And she gave hers, again and again, in service of things larger than herself.”
She continued, “Perhaps most quietly powerful, she spoke openly about what so many are taught to hide: domestic violence, postpartum depression, addiction, recovery, and abuse. She did not share these things for ease or attention, but because she understood what her silence could cost others.”
Milano concluded her post by writing, “Rest in peace, Hayden. You deserved so much more time and your courage deserves to be remembered.”
Connie Britton
“This was Hayden. Bursting with brilliance, shining so bright,” Hayden’s Nashville costar captioned a number of photos of the two of them through the years. “I have no words for this sad song. Just heartbreak. I love you girl. Sleep easy now. 💔.”
Ashley Tisdale
“Today is heavy 💔,” Tisdale wrote via her Instagram Story. “We lost one of the most talented and beautiful actors. Hayden was the girl growing up that you aspired to be. She was talented, smart, and later in life shared her flaws and struggles to make people feel less alone. She shared so much of herself for so long. Rest in peace.”
David Arquette
“💔 I love you Hayden 🕊️,” Hayden’s Scream 4 costar commented on Variety’s Instagram post about the actress’ death.
Melissa Barrera
The Scream VI actress wrote via her Instagram Stories, “Rest in peace sweet Hayden.”
Selma Blair
“I love you. Don’t be gone. Don’t be gone . Please. Please,” the actress commented on Hayden’s final Instagram post shared on July 27, less than three weeks before her death.
“I’m dying. Please be here,” she wrote in another comment.
“I love you whale tail my friend,” Blair wrote in a third comment.
Rosie O’Donnell
“Oh my god – heartbroken #hayden 😭,” O’Donnell wrote via Instagram alongside a picture of Hayden.
Hayden Panettiere reflected on “good times” in her final Instagram post prior to her death. “Good times and good friends @randallslavin ✨,” the Nashville alum captioned a black-and-white photo of herself with photographer and director Randall Slavin. The July 27 post captured Panettiere winking at the camera while Slavin, 56, wrapped his arm around her. […]
Bethany Joy Lenz
“There is nothing that posting pictures on the internet can do. I avoid it usually in moments like this. But I’m here with my head in my hands and I don’t know what else to do in aside from praying for her soul, which I have done and will continue,” the One Tree Hill alum shared in a lengthy Instagram tribute.
Lenz continued, “I’m crushed. I knew the wild little blonde. Was she nine? Ten? I was eighteen. She ran through the Screen Gem studio hallways at 222 E44th St. laughing and playing games in between blocking and camera rehearsals. Long, unruly curls trailing behind her.”
“She knew her lines and everyone else’s. Her intelligence was astonishing. She understood scenes and nuance and human struggle like no child I’d ever seen on camera,” Lenz said. “And she’d sit with you for a great conversation, then giggle and go play. We’d connect on and off over the years, like the cousin in the family reunion who got famous and life moved her away — but I always felt such joy seeing her when we were lucky enough to cross paths. We’d make a pact to talk soon. Lunch. Dinner. Somewhere we could curl up into a corner — but we never quite made it happen. I mostly stayed up to date through mutual friends.”
“I don’t understand how this is real. Everything seemed to be turning around. She was coming BACK to life, wasn’t she?” the actress wrote. “It’s too young and there’s still so much more life. And her daughter…. Hayden, you are surround [sic] by love. I’m sorry for every moment I didn’t reach out or check in. This can’t be real.”
“These are moments of how I knew you, in glimpses over 27 years. I don’t know how to process this. I am praying for you to know the peace of God now and always,” Lenz concluded.
Jay Shetty
“I can’t believe it. Our friendship had just begun and I was so moved by the conversation we shared earlier this year. My love and condolences to her family and fans 🙏🙏🙏,” the podcaster wrote under Variety’s Instagram post.
Greer Grammer
“Oh my god 😔 this is just absolutely devastating. I can’t believe it,” the actress commented on Variety’s Instagram post.
Viola Davis
“What an amazing talent you were….so gifted. Julius and I loved working with you….an old, wise soul with such a deep heart,” the Oscar winner said of her Architect and Custody costar via Instagram. “I wish the world had more time with you because I had a burning curiosity about who you were becoming. I saw this beautiful Phoenix rising from the ashes.”
Davis added, “Your tests became your testimony, and your testimony became your legacy. You will be remembered. Rest well, Hayden. Sending healing prayers to your family, your daughter, and all who loved you. May they always speak your name….♥️🙏🏿🕊.”
JoJo
“This is such devastating news. I am so sorry to hear of her passing. Oh My God,” the singer and former child actor shared via her Instagram Story.
Matt Lanter
“So sad to hear of Hayden’s passing. She played my girlfriend on Commander in Chief then I went over to her show and played her boyfriend on S1 of Heroes,” the actor wrote via Instagram. “We always had a great time on set and tons of laughs… ❤️ Man, just too young.”
Kelly Osbourne
“I am deeply saddened by the loss of someone who meant so much to me. We understood each other in a way few truly can—recognizing how difficult it is to grow up in the spotlight, and how isolating it can feel even when surrounded by so many people,” Osbourne wrote via her Instagram Story. “My heart grieves for someone so special to this world and such a good friend to me. I will never forget you, Hayden, and I will always believe you deserved better. Rest in peace, sweet princess. You will never be forgotten.”
Kim Cattrall
“Rest in peace sweet Hayden,” the Ice Princess actress wrote via Instagram. “Gone far too soon 💔.”
Derek Hough
“Heartbroken to hear about Hayden’s passing. The little time I got to spend with her, she was so sweet, so kind. I’ve always admired her work and the joy she brought people,” the Nashville star wrote via Instagram. “She was actually pregnant when we filmed together. Looking at this photo now, having recently become a father myself, breaks my heart.”
Alyson Stoner
“From one Kairi to another… One sky, one destiny. 🕊️ My deepest condolences to Hayden’s family, community, and the many lives Hayden reached. May you rest in freedom, Hayden,💕✨” the actress shared via Instagram with an emotional video. “And sending love to my fellow KH community worldwide who have cherished Hayden’s work as Kairi through the decades. Take care.”
Christian Siriano
Taryn Manning
“This one hurts. 💔 Hayden was always such a sweetheart- so rad – down to earth, kind and consistently the same every time I saw her,” the actress wrote via Instagram. “We shared so many funny little moments over the years, and this photo brings it all back. We were in Washington, D.C., surrounded by very suited- slightly strange men, and somehow we just kept catching each other’s eyes and laughing uncontrollably at the weirdness. And then we dipped out and ate a dinner 😂. That was Hayden – down to clown – easy, funny, real. Just such a dear, a rad rad human. I don’t really have words for what has happened and she is suddenly gone. I’m just grateful I got to know her and have memories like this.”
Beth Chamberlin
“Hayden played my daughter for 3 years. She was the most brilliant child actor I’ve ever seen,” the Guiding Light actress shared via Instagram. “The things she could do, the way she could remember 20+ pages of dialogue, day after day. Even on days where the director would come out between dress and tape and make huge cuts to the scenes, Hayden, never once forgot a line or missed her blocking. The adults would, but not Hayden. I felt blessed to work with her. And always perfect in her playing of the scene.”
Dania Ramirez
“My heart aches so much right now. I love you and will always miss you,” the Heroes star shared online. “I take comfort in knowing that I am with you in life and in death because your love and energy has always transcended this dimension. My thoughts are with your daughter and those who truly love you. I know that the ones that got to feel your gifts will forever feel blessed and grateful for you 🙏🏽💫.”
Emma Roberts
“Rest in peace my sweet friend,” the Scream 4 star wrote. “You are so loved and you will be forever missed ❤️.”
Nico Tortorella
“I keep trying to write something, but there are too few words for you,” the Scream 4 actor wrote online. “I love you. I miss you. And I’m sorry. I hope you and Jan are somewhere bigger than all of this.”
