Wladimir Klitschko mourns Hayden Panettiere: Family in shock after actress’s death

Former world boxing champion Wladimir Klitschko has posted a moving tribute to the late actress Hayden Panettiere, who died this week at age 36. In a short statement on X, Klitschko referred to Panettiere as “talented” and said her “tragic death” has left his family in profound shock and grief.

Raw news reports from Greenville, South Carolina, confirm that police received emergency calls about a woman in cardiac arrest. The city’s coroner announced that the autopsy showed no signs of trauma and the cause of death remains undetermined, though an oxygen‑related cardiac event possibly linked to an overdose was identified.

Panettiere’s career spanned from child roles in Remember the Titans to a leading part on the TV series Nashville. She had worked with fellow actors such as Connie Britton and Masi Oka, who expressed their sorrow on social media, calling her “bursting with brilliance.”

She and Klitschko met in 2009, announced their engagement in 2013, and welcomed their daughter Kaya in 2014. The couple never married. In her autobiographical book, Panettiere candidly described her battle with postpartum depression and substance misuse, and the difficulty of balancing motherhood with a demanding career.

Following her death, the BBC article notes that police found no evidence of foul play, and the coroner’s office cites no trauma in the autopsy. The family urges privacy as they grieve.

For more details, see the BBC article on the circumstances surrounding Panettiere’s death or the accompanying tribute published by her friends on social media.