Movie and TV star Hayden Panettiere “left this world far too soon,” her ex-fiancé, Wladimir Klitschko, said on Tuesday, adding that she was “an important part of my life and the mother of our daughter, Kaya.”
“The announcement of Hayden’s tragic death saddens me deeply,” the longtime heavyweight champion boxer said on social media.
Panettiere was found in cardiac arrest prior to her death Sunday at age 36, the Greenville County Coroner’s Office said Monday in a press release. The coroner’s office said an autopsy was completed on Monday, and that “no signs of trauma were discovered that would have contributed to the death.”
Panettiere’s official cause and manner of death “remain pending further investigation and the completion of additional studies,” the coroner’s office added.
Beginning her career as a child star, with a long list of credits in both TV and film, Panettiere is remembered for her roles as Claire Bennet on the hit series Heroes and as Juliette Barnes on the musical drama Nashville.
She was the mother of one child, a daughter, Kaya Klitschko, whom she had in 2014 with Klitschko.
“To our daughter Kaya, I will always speak of her mother with respect and make sure she remembers the person she was,” Klitschko said on Tuesday. “I extend my deepest condolences to Hayden’s parents, her friends, and her fans, who are also grieving today. Young and talented people like Hayden should not leave this world so soon.”
Klitschko, who in the post shared a photo of himself with Panettiere, asked for privacy during a difficult time.
Panettiere had been candid about her struggles from child stardom through adulthood. She released a memoir this May titled This Is Me: A Reckoning.
In the memoir, she shared “a rare and intimate glimpse into her life behind closed doors, opening up about postpartum depression, addiction and recovery, trauma, domestic abuse, and loss,” according to a synopsis for her book.
“She built an incredible career through immense talent, while also facing the darker sides of a very demanding industry,” he said. “Nothing will erase the times we shared or the place she had in our lives.”
