Three months before Hayden Panettiere’s tragic death at age 36 was announced on August 16, 2026, the actress told Jay Shetty on his podcast how relieved she was to put all the “darkness” and “negativity” in her life behind her, declaring she had “a lot more life to live.”
Panettiere was best known for playing Claire Bennett on “Heroes,” Juliette Barnes in “Nashville” and Kirby Reed in the “Scream” horror franchise. Her representative confirmed her death in a statement to ABC News that said, “”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.”
Hayden Panettiere Said She Could Feel ‘Exciting Possibilities’ Ahead
Panettiere sat down with Shetty in May to promote the release of her memoir, “This is Me: A Reckoning,” and was very honest about the struggles she’d faced in her life, from the challenges of growing up in Hollywood as a child star to suffering from severe postpartum depression following the 2014 birth of her daughter, Kaya, whom she shared with her former fiancé, Wladimir Klitschko.
The actress told Shetty that one of the hardest parts of writing her memoir was coming up with a title for it. So when he asked what she would call the next chapter of her life, she wasn’t quite sure yet.
She explained, “To come up with something good, I would have to see where … my life is going to go because I finally feel like I have shaken off all of this darkness and this negativity. And that means I’ve closed one door and another door is opened, and I can feel it opened and I can feel all the possibility … all the exciting possibilities. I feel like I have a lot more life to live.”
Shetty, who’s interviewed countless celebrities and newsmakers, then told Panettiere that she was “one of the toughest and most vulnerable and bravest people who’s sat in that chair.” He also praised her for all the inner work she’d done to heal and her willingness to share her story with so much “grace and courage.”
Panettiere told him that the purpose of sharing her story was to help others see that it’s possible to overcome hard things, explaining, “I want what I have gone through to be for a reason, to have happened for a reason. And for that reason to be to help people go through whatever challenges they’re facing and to know that it’s possible. It can be done.”
Hayden Panettiere Urged Fans Not to Believe ‘What You See in a Picture’
GettyAt other points in Panettiere’s interview with Shetty, she talked about how she tried to hide what was going on in her personal life from the public, urging fans, “Don’t believe just what you see in a picture. There’s so much more going on. So much more going on.”
The actress also said she “worked so hard to create this incredible life and career and I burnt it to the ground.”
As news spread of Panettiere’s death, many friends and colleagues shared tributes to the star, who appeared as a child star on soaps “Guiding Light” and “One Life to Live” in the 90s as well as in the movie “Remember the Titans.”
In the comment section of Panettiere’s last Instagram post, actress Selma Blair wrote, “I love you. Don’t be gone. Don’t be gone . Please. Please.”
Beverley Mitchell commented, “Praying the news is wrong! You are such a bright light and soooo loved!!!!❤️”
