As fans of the entertainment industry mourn the loss of Hayden Panettiere, who passed away on Sunday, August 16, at the age of 36, those who knew and worked with the actress are sharing their memories of the late actress. That includes musician, soap opera actress and Hallmark star Bethany Joy Lenz.
Bethany and Hayden First Met When They Were a Teen & a Child
GettyWhile both Lenz and Panettiere appeared in plenty of popular shows and movies over the years, they happened to have worked together when they were both young actresses making names for themselves early in their careers.
Indeed, back in 1997, Panettiere was just a child when she began appearing on “Guiding Light” as Lizzie Spaulding, according to IMDb. She ended up staying on the CBS soap opera until 2000. Before Panettiere left the show, Lenz joined in 1998 as Michelle Bauer Santos before also leaving in 2000.
Because of this connection, Lenz and Panettiere shared a relationship that lasted for almost 30 years. That’s why Lenz has shared a message about Panettiere’s passing that is both heartwarming and heartbreaking.
Bethany Shared Photos and Memories of Hayden
Not long after news broke that Panettiere had passed away, Lenz took to Instagram to share photos of her friend and former costar when she was a child and other images of her when she was an adult, as well as shots of the two stars in the past and more recently.
In the caption of Lenz’s post, she first acknowledged that she doesn’t usually share photos of someone when they pass away and actually avoids doing so; however, she admitted that she doesn’t know what else to do. After mentioning how devastated she is by the loss, she then shared memories of Panettiere and revealed some incredible facts about how talented the younger star was even when she was a child.
“I knew the wild little blonde. Was she nine? Ten? I was eighteen,” Lenz wrote. “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. And she’d sit with you for a great conversation, then giggle and go play.”
Going on to say that they would “connect on and off over the years,” Lenz recalled that she was always happy to see Panettiere whenever they “were lucky enough to cross paths.” While also noting that they always promised to get together after running into each other, they never seemed to follow through.
Instead, Lenz revealed that she had kept up on what Panettiere had been up to and how she was managing thanks to friends that they had in common. Because of this, despite various hardships that Panettiere had faced, Lenz mentioned that “everything seemed to be turning around,” saying, “She was coming BACK to life, wasn’t she?”
Also bringing up Panettiere’s daughter, Lenz then added, “Hayden, you are surround by love. I’m sorry for every moment I didn’t reach out or check in. This can’t be real.”
