LOS ANGELES (CNS) – Actress Hayden Panettiere, who rose to fame as cheerleader Claire Bennet on the NBC series “Heroes” and later starred as country singer Juliette Barnes on “Nashville,” has died. She was 36.
Authorities in Greenville, South Carolina said she was found “unresponsive” st 1:50 p.m. Sunday by a friend at am apartment in Greenville, South Carolina, People magazine reported.
Multiple media sources, including People and TMZ, reported officials could be heard discussing an “overdose” and “cardiac arrest” on dispatch audio reviewed independently.
She was pronounced dead at 2:32 p.m., South Caroline time, after paramedics were unable to revive her.
Panettiere had reportedly flown to South Carolina on Saturday.
The Greenville County coroner is scheduled to perform an autopsy Monday to determine the exact cause and manner of death.
Born Aug. 21, 1989, in Palisades, New York, Panettiere began appearing in commercials when she was 11 months old and went on to appear as a child actress on the soap operas “One Life to Live” and “Guiding Light.”
She played Sheryl Yoast, the daughter of a high school football coach, in the 2000 film “Remember the Titans” before gaining widespread recognition as Claire Bennet on “Heroes,” which ran from 2006 to 2010.
Panettiere later starred opposite Connie Britton on the musical drama “Nashville,” portraying country singer Juliette Barnes. The role earned Panettiere two Golden Globe nominations. Her film credits also include “Raising Helen,” “Racing Stripes,” “Ice Princess,” “Bring It On: All or Nothing” and “I Love You, Beth Cooper.” Panettiere also played Kirby Reed in the 2011 horror film “Scream 4” and reprised the role in 2023’s “Scream VI.”
In May, Panettiere released a memoir, “This Is Me: A Reckoning.”
Here survivors include an 11-year-old daughter, Kaya.
Her younger brother, Jansen, died in February 2023 at age 28 from an undiagnosed heart condition.
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