Solange wrote of Panettiere: “i salute your journey and i honor the work we created together”
Credit: John Johnson/Universal
NEED TO KNOW
- Solange Knowles shared a heartfelt tribute to Hayden Panettiere, reflecting on their bond and work in Bring It On: All or Nothing
- Panettiere passed away at 36 of an apparent overdose
- Known for roles in Heroes and Remember the Titans, Panettiere also spoke openly about her struggles with addiction and mental health
Solange Knowles is paying tribute to her Bring It On: All Or Nothing costar Hayden Panettiere after her death at 36.
In a post on Aug. 18 to her Instagram Stories, Solange posted a still from the 2006 teen movie showing her and Panettiere, captioned with a heartfelt message honoring the late actress.
“rest in peace hayden. in peace, because you are so deserving of it,” she wrote in the text overlay. “we had so many parallels in our lives, and the world watched u so courageously live in your radical truth telling your story. we watched your endless quest for vulnerability, and healing.”
“i salute your journey and i honor the work we created together that became something that really means something to people… reaching people we couldn’t have ever imagined at the time, as two young girls, trying to keep looking to the light,” she continued. “the light surrounds you now. rest easy hayden.”
Panettiere and Solange starred as two high school cheerleaders who find themselves on the same cheer squad after Panettiere’s Britney Allen moves to the same working-class school as Solange’s Camille. Though Britney promised her old cheer squad at the rich Pacific Vista High School that she would never cheer again after moving, she’s encouraged by her new friends and her mom to join the Crenshaw Heights squad. The pair become unlikely friends when they realize they need to work together if they want a chance to win the upcoming cheer competition that would reward her new school with much-needed computers.
Credit: Solange Knowles/Instagram
Panettiere died on Aug. 16 after suffering from an apparent overdose at a residence in Greenville, S.C. The news of her death was confirmed to PEOPLE in a statement attributed to her father, Alan Panettiere: “It is with profound sadness that we share the tragic passing of our beloved Hayden. 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.”
The late actress appeared on-screen as early as 1 year old, appearing in a handful of commercials in the 90s before her breakthrough role in 2006’s Heroes. Her resume of roles included shows like Ally McBeal and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, as well as movies like A Bug’s Life, Remember the Titans, Ice Princess, Racing Stripes and Raising Helen.
In an interview with PEOPLE in 2022, Panettiere confessed to a secret addiction to opioids and alcohol, as well as her struggle with postpartum depression after giving birth to her daughter, Kaya Evdokia Klitschko, with her ex-fiancé, Wladimir Klitschko. She entered rehab for eight months after a stay in the hospital during which doctors “told me my liver was going to give out.”
“I was on top of the world and I ruined it,” she said at the time. “I’d think I hit rock bottom, but then there’s that trap door that opens.”
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“This hasn’t been easy and there were a lot of ups and downs,” said Panettiere of her journey to sobriety and happiness. “But I don’t regret even the ugliest things that have happened to me. I feel incredibly accomplished. And I feel like I have a second chance.”
If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, please contact the SAMHSA helpline at 1-800-662-HELP.
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