Tributes Pour In for Actress Hayden Panettiere After Her Death at 36

In May 2026, Panettiere published her memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning. Speaking with CBS about the book, Panettiere said that “once people figured out that I could cry on cue the way that I did, it was in everything.”

At first, she said, she would imagine her pet passing away. “But then as I got older, the imagery became darker,” she said.

Panettiere continued that she “didn’t know where my character started and where I ended” and described feeling a “deep sadness” during those scenes. 

The actress also reflected on landing the lead in Heroes at 16. “Back in the 2000s, there were no boundaries at all. It was rough and tough,” said Panettiere about the pressure of the paparazzi. “The way they spoke to you, the way they drove, hunted literally like prey.”

Panettiere also spoke out about her experience with postpartum depression following the birth of her daughter, Kaya, in December 2014. “Here I am with this beautiful, healthy, beautiful baby girl in this very fortunate life, and I could not, for the whole life of me, be happy. I was so depressed, and I just couldn’t find my way out,” she said while promoting her memoir in May.