“I can hopefully leave the world a better place than I found it,” the actress said on May 26
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NEED TO KNOW
Key Takeaways
- Hayden Panettiere shared meaningful insights in her final appearances before her sudden death
- In a July interview, she opened up about motherhood and shared encouraging words for others going through difficult times
- At a May event, she reflected on inspiring others to seek help for mental health and leaving a positive legacy
Hayden Panettiere’s final media appearances before her sudden death at age 36 were focused on inspiring others.
In the months before her death, which was announced by her father on Sunday, August 16, Panettiere had been on a media tour promoting her memoir, This is Me: A Reckoning. In the book, she shared struggles she faced behind the camera, including alcoholism, depression and abusive relationships.
In one of her final interviews, for the July cover of Momé, a parenting outlet, Panettiere opened up about motherhood and shared advice for others navigating trying times.
During the cover interview, she discussed the life-threatening birth of her daughter, postpartum depression and the painful decision to allow her daughter Kaya, 11, to primarily live with ex Wladimir Klitschko.
“I’ve been able to put her first no matter how I’ve felt or what I’ve experienced,” she said about Kaya, adding that she hoped “one day she’ll understand my story, and why I wasn’t able to be with her all the time.”
When discussing her current state in life, she said, “I’m a work in progress — we all are. I take each day as it comes. I’m doing the work, and I’m doing my best.”
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In her final quotes of her interview, she wanted other mothers to know they have the strength to endure: “You’re stronger than you know. And you’re going to be just fine.”
A few weeks earlier on May 26, Panettiere appeared at the Harmony Gold Theater in Los Angeles for a book signing and panel to promote her memoir. During the conversation, she shared a poignant message about how she’d like to be remembered.
“So many people have have come up to me within the industry and outside of the industry and shared their stories with me and said, ‘Because you’ve talked about your mental health, it gave me the courage to be honest about mine and get myself help and you saved my life,’” she recalled.
She continued, “I was like, This is worth it. I can hopefully leave the world a better place than I found it.”
Panettiere’s career began at 4 years old when she was cast in the ABC soap opera One Life to Live. She continued on Guiding Light before she landed high-profile roles in Pixar’s A Bug’s Life (1996) and Remember the Titans (2000).
Credit: Chris Hollo/ABC
She continued acting in projects like Ally McBeal, Malcolm in the Middle,Tiger Cruise and Ice Princess. But she became a household name at 16 years old when she was cast in the hit NBC show Heroes, playing a high school cheerleader with healing powers.
She led her next hit show, a musical drama series Nashville, opposite Connie Britton, from 2012 to 2018.
After years away, she returned to acting with Scream 6 in 2023. She also appeared in 2024’s Amber Alert and 2025’s A Breed Apart. Her last film role was in Sleepwalker, which was released in theaters in January.
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