Following the tragic death of Hayden Panettiere last week, there has been lots of praise of the young actress and countless tributes paid to her. One of those came from Marylynne Stella, the mother of Lennon and Maisy Stella. The pair were part of the ABC musical drama “Nashville,” portraying sisters Maddie and Daphne Conrad.
Marylynne shared a selection of previously unseen photographs of Panettiere with the two young actresses, with the mother praising her for the way she supported them during the filming process.
As a former child star herself, Panettiere had plenty of experience of being on set at such a young age and seemingly went out of her way in order to make the process as comfortable and supportive as possible for Lennon and Maisy. In an Instagram post shared following Panettiere’s death, she thanked her for the way she helped look out for her two young daughters.
Hayden Panettiere Understood the Pressures of Being a Child Star
Lennon and Maisy were significant members of the cast for “Nashville,” appearing in over a hundred episodes of the drama series. They were not even teenagers when they first joined the show, aged 12 and 8 respectively at the start of filming. Of course, Panettiere had considerably more in common with the pair apart from the fact they all starred in the television series. She began her career in the entertainment industry at a young age herself, appearing on “One Life to Live” and “Guiding Light” as a child.
In the social media tribute, Marylynne explained how important Panettiere’s guidance was to her children. “Hayden was always eager to support Lennon and Maisy,” Marylynne recalled.
She also shared a number of behind-the-scenes photographs showing Panettiere spending time with the girls. They range from their first meeting to later seasons of “Nashville,” when the young actresses had become teenagers.
Getty“Lennon and Maisy were 8 and 12 when they walked into their first table read,” said Marylynne. “Their nerves leaned heavily on the fact, that they were about to meet Hayden. The Ice Princess. From day 1 she was eager to be support to both of them, knowing the challenges of being young girls in the industry.”
She went on to say how heartbroken she is about Panettiere’s death. She added, “Seeing someone so strong, and so insanely talented, work so hard to get better… succumb, is devastating but I’m imagining her finally at peace.”
Thanks partly to her support, both Lennon and Maisy continue to work in the music and industry. Lennon released her debut album in 2020, while Maisy has had roles in films such as “My Old Ass” and “The End of Oak Street.”
‘Nashville’ Cast Continues to Remember Hayden Panettiere
Marylynne is just one of the many people associated with “Nashville” that have shared memories of Panettiere and paid tribute to the actress.
Connie Britton, who starred alongside her across six seasons of the show, paid an emotional tribute to her former co-star. In a social media post showing the two on stage together, she wrote, “This was Hayden. Bursting with brilliance, shining so bright. I have no words for this sad song. Just heartbreak. I love you girl. Sleep easy now. 💔”
Meanwhile, Chris Carmack and wife Erin Slaver posted an acoustic performance in memory of their friend. The couple played guitar and violin and wrote a touching message.
“Erin and I are both heartbroken at the loss of Hayden,” Carmack captioned his post. “We both knew her and worked with her on ‘Nashville.’ Erin was cast as her band member and I had the pleasure of being her scene and stage partner during the run of the show.”
