Nashville Star Hayden Panettiere Dies at 36

Hayden Panettiere, who played the rising country singer Juliette Barnes in the 2010s TV show Nashville, was found dead at a home in South Carolina yesterday, August 16, TMZ and The New York Times report. Her father, Skip Panettiere, said in a statement, “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.” No cause of death was given. Panettiere was 36 years old.

Introduced as a child star in films such as Remember the Titans and Raising Helen, Panettiere broke through in the role of a cheerleader with superpowers in the TV show Heroes in 2006, later appearing as Kirby Reed in the fourth and sixth installments of the Scream franchise. Hayden released a handful of songs under her own name as companion pieces to films she starred in, and several more as her Nashville character Juliette Barnes. Among them was “Undermine,” a duet with co-star Charles Esten—one of several songs from the series that reached the Billboard charts. Panettiere’s Nashville tenure spanned the show’s run from 2012 to 2018; like her character, Panettiere spoke of mental health struggles that intertwined with her career. She received two Golden Globe nominations for the role.

“This was Hayden, Bursting with brilliance, shining so bright,” Connie Britton, Panettiere’s Nashville co-star, wrote in a tribute posted to Instagram. “I have no words for this sad song. Just heartbreak. I love you girl. Sleep easy now. 💔”