Actress Hayden Panettiere, ex of Wladimir Klitschko, dies at 36

Hayden Panettiere, known from US series such as "Heroes" and "Nashville", has died at just 36. She has a daughter with Wladimir Klitschko. "It is with profound sorrow that we announce the tragic death of our beloved Hayden. She was an incredible light and a force of nature who brought immeasurable love and joy to everyone who knew her, and to the millions who saw her on the big screen." With these words, Hayden Panettiere's father announced the sudden death of his 36-year-old daughter on ABC. Her father has asked for privacy, saying the family needs time to process this unimaginable loss. The actress was known not only in the United States but also internationally from numerous successful American series. From 2006, Hayden Panettiere, then just 17 years old, played the role of Claire Bennet in "Heroes". From 2012 to 2018 she appeared alongside Connie Britton in ABC's musical drama "Nashville" as Juliette Barnes. The daughter of an actress and a firefighter, she was born in Palisades in the US state of New York and also appeared in "Remember the Titans" and, in 2011, in "Scream 4". Her brother Jansen Panettiere, who was also an actor, died in 2013 at the age of 28. Known as the "ex" of Wladimir Klitschko Hayden Panettiere leaves behind a 12-year-old daughter. After Kaya's birth, her mother suffered from postnatal depression and later, according to US magazine People, from alcohol and prescription drug addiction. The child's father, who had full custody, is the now 50-year-old former professional boxer and heavyweight world champion Wladimir Klitschko. He is the brother of the mayor of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, Vitali Klitschko, and is also committed to supporting Ukraine. Twelve years after separating from his first wife Alexandra, the Ukrainian, who lived in Hamburg for many years, met the actress Hayden in 2010, who was 14 years younger. However, according to Munich daily Abendzeitung, the two were initially together for only 16 months. They found their way back to each other in 2013, became engaged and in 2014 their daughter Kaya was born. In 2017, Wladimir Klitschko, also for the sake of his family, at the age of 41 ended his boxing career. Wladimir Klitschko and Hayden Panettiere finally separated for good in August 2018. They did not give any official reason for the break-up at the time. That same year, the actress decided that her daughter should initially live with Klitschko. Panettiere later explained that she had not been able to take proper care of Kaya at that point. She described the decision as very painful but saw it as necessary for her recovery. Her memoirs were published in May 2026 Last May, Hayden Panettiere published her memoirs, entitled "This is Me: A Reckoning" ("Das bin ich: Eine Abrechnung"). In them she also writes about her "lifequakes", her "Lebensbeben" – experiences that, as it says on the book cover, "shook her sense of self and forced her to rebuild it from the ground up". If you are thinking about suicide or suffering from depression, you can seek advice in Germany via chat or email (source in German) or by phone, free of charge and anonymously, on 0800/111 0 111. A Muslim counselling hotline is available around the clock on 030-44 3509 821 (or, outside Germany: 0049-30/44 35 09 821). In Austria you can get counselling by calling 142 or online. (source in German) In Switzerland, Dargebotene Hand offers help online (source in German) and on the telephone number 143.