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:
David Arquette
“💔 I love you Hayden 🕊️,” Panettiere’s Scream 4 costar shared under Variety’s Instagram post regarding 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 Panettiere’s final Instagram post shared before her death on July 27.
“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 Panettiere.
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.
