Heroes and Nashville actress Hayden Panettiere dies aged 36

By Jessica Coates, Press Association

US actress Hayden Panettiere, best known for her roles in Heroes and Nashville, has died aged 36.

A representative for the actress confirmed the death to US network ABC News on Sunday, saying her family would remember her “incredible light” who brought “immeasurable love and joy to all who knew her”.

The statement from her father Skip read: “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.”

Her father also asked that her family be given privacy as they “take time to process this unimaginable loss”.

No cause of death has been announced.

The 36-year-old began acting as a child, appearing in soap operas before gaining wider recognition for her role in the 2000 sports drama Remember The Titans alongside Denzel Washington, and as the voice of Dot in 1998’s A Bug’s Life.

Panettiere later found fame playing cheerleader Claire Bennet in the superhero drama Heroes before going on to star as up-and-coming country singer Juliette Barnes for six seasons on the hit TV series Nashville.

Her film credits include 2006’s Bring It On: All Or Nothing, comedy-drama film Raising Helen, and appearances in Scream 4 and Scream VI as Kirby Reed.

Following her rapid rise to fame, the pressure of the industry began to weigh on Panettiere – with the actress previously revealing that she had struggled with addiction throughout her 20s.

In a memoir published earlier this year, Panettiere opened up about her struggles with mental health, the loss of her younger brother, Jansen, and her decision to give full custody of her daughter to her former partner, Ukrainian boxer Wladimir Klitschko.