Hayden Panettiere, an American actress and singer known for Heroes, Nashville and the Scream film franchise, died Aug. 16, 2026, at 36, her representative confirmed to ABC News.
Panettiere began acting in commercials at 11 months old. She later worked as a child actress on the daytime television series One Life to Live and Guiding Light.
In 2006, she played Claire Bennet, a cheerleader with superpowers, in the television series Heroes. The role propelled her to fame.
In 2011, Panettiere played film enthusiast Kirby Reed in Scream 4. Beginning in 2012, she portrayed country singer Juliette Barnes on Nashville. Eleven songs she recorded for the series appeared on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart.
She returned as Kirby in Scream VI in March 2023, ending a five-year break from acting. In May 2026, she discussed her memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning, in an interview with NPR.
