Paying Tribute
Celebrities React To Hayden Panettiere’s Death At 36
The devastating news comes months after the actor published her memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning.
Hayden Panettiere has died at 36, her father, Skip Panettiere, shared in a statement on Aug. 16. “It is with profound sadness that we share the tragic passing of our beloved Hayden,” he wrote, per The Hollywood Reporter. “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. We ask for privacy as our family takes time to process this unimaginable loss.”
Following the Nashville star’s death, fellow celebrities have reacted with moving tributes.
Viola Davis
Viola Davis remembered collaborating with Panettiere on the 2016 film Custody, calling the late actor “an amazing talent” in a touching Instagram post. She and her husband and producing partner Julius Tennon “loved working with” Panettiere, Davis added. “An old, wise soul with such a deep heart. 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. Your tests became your testimony, and your testimony became your legacy.”
Bethany Joy Lenz
Bethany Joy Lenz recalled a young Panettiere bringing joy to the set of Guiding Light, the soap opera on which they starred together. “She knew her lines and everyone else’s,” Lenz wrote on Instagram. “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.”
Lenz referenced Panettiere’s recent struggles. “Everything seemed to be turning around. She was coming BACK to life, wasn’t she? It’s too young and there’s still so much more life.”
Heather Matarazzo
Heather Matarazzo remembered meeting Panettiere on the Long Island Rail Road as they’d make their way to auditions as kids, writing on Instagram: “Every time our paths crossed, my heart always filled up. She was special. She was a Sprite of a being and such a talent. Truly a light….. Love you, Hayden.”
More to come...
