Hayden Panettiere, an actress with a huge body of work spanning TV, film, and videogames, has died at the age of 36.
Her death was announced by her father Alan “Skip” Panettiere in a statement released to ABC News which read: “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.”
Panettiere appeared in television shows and movies for almost her entire life, but shot to fame in the 2000s for her role in Heroes as Claire Bennet. Her character was the driving force of much of the show’s plot, and where the phrase “Save the cheerleader, save the world” originates.
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While most of her major roles lied in TV and film–such as her role in Nashville, Bring It On: All of Nothing, and Scream 4—she had a small but impactful career in videogames, too.
She lent her voice to Kairi in Kingdom Hearts, a role which she would reprise in its first sequel and Birth By Sleep, along with voicing Xion in Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance. While she hasn’t voiced Kairi since 2010—Alyson Stoner replaced her in all subsequent games—her original work is still highly regarded by the community. Hayley Joel Osment, the voice of main character Sora, shared an image of Panettiere to his Instagram story with the caption “Rest in Peace”.
She also provided both her voice and likeness to Sam Giddings in Supermassive Games’ excellent interactive horror Until Dawn. She was perhaps one of the most recognisable names in the cast when the game originally released, and her performance easily remains one of my favourite parts of that game. She came back to the role for a post-credits scene in the 2024 remake, making it her final credited role in a videogame.
