Hayden Panettiere Worried Her Daughter Would Think Actress’ Struggles Were ‘Her Fault’: ‘I’ll Continue Protecting Her’

Brenton Blanchet, Deirdre DurkanMon, August 17, 2026 at 2:40 PM UTC

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Hayden Panettiere; Hayden Panettiere with her daughter KayaCredit: Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic; Hayden Panettiere/X -

Hayden Panettiere recently spoke about her daughter during a May event to promote her memoir

“I’ll continue protecting her, especially while she’s young,” she said of her daughter Kaya, 11

The Heroes actress died suddenly on August 16

Hayden Panettiere spoke about what she hoped her daughter would learn from her memoir, months before the actress’ sudden death at age 36.

The Nashville star, who died on Sunday, Aug. 16, recently appeared at a book event for her memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning, on May 26. During the panel, she said she hoped the book would resonate with her daughter Kaya, 11. In recent years, Panettiere had been candid about her traumatic childbirth and postpartum depression, as well as her struggles with addiction. She has also discussed her decision to allow her former fiancé Wladimir Klitschko to have full custody of their daughter.

“I don’t want her ever to read it and think any of it was her fault,” Panettiere said during the book event hosted by Book Soup at the Harmony Gold Theater in Los Angeles. “I love her so dearly. [It’s a lot for an] 11-year-old to process that. I’ll continue protecting her, especially while she’s young.”

Hayden Panettiere and her daughter KayaCredit: Hayden Panettiere/X

The book, published on May 19, followed Panettiere’s experiences navigating fame at a young age, personal struggles and motherhood. During a recent appearance on Jay Shetty’s On Purpose podcast, the actress also addressed the “heartbreaking” claims that she “gave away” her child after she signed over custody to Klitschko in 2018, sharing that they “couldn’t be farther from the truth.”

She also called herself a “mother lion” and said she would have “burnt the whole world down” for Kaya.

Klitschko, she added, felt it was best that their daughter live in Europe while she sought treatment for alcoholism and substance abuse. “That was incredibly difficult. The fact that my child wasn’t going to be with me all day, every day was...you can’t put words to it. It’s just a really intense feeling or multiple feelings really layered together,” said Panettiere.

Panettiere and Klitschko welcomed their daughter in December 2014. The Heroes actress wrote in her memoir that her bond with Kaya had remained “incredibly strong.”

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Hayden Panettiere attends the Los Angeles premiere of ‘Blonde’ on Sept. 13, 2022Credit: Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic

“Not being under the same roof with her every day has been the most gut-wrenching experience of my life, and it’s hard to describe the layers of emotion—including sadness, resentment, and anger—I’ve felt because of it,” she wrote.

“I grieve that I’m not the mother I thought I’d be and definitely not the mother I want to be (trust me, no one should ever have to raise a child on FaceTime), and although I miss Kaya so much my heart aches, I know how blessed I am to be her mom,” she continued. “She is the greatest gift of my life, with all the best parts of her father and me.”

Panettiere’s representative confirmed the news of her death in a Sunday statement shared on behalf of her father, Alan Panettiere. “It is with profound sadness that we share the tragic passing of our beloved Hayden,” the statement read. “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 Greenville Police Department later confirmed to PEOPLE that officers and EMS personnel responded to reports of an “unresponsive female” at a residence in Greenville, South Carolina. Per dispatch audio obtained by PEOPLE, officials were heard discussing an “overdose” and “cardiac arrest” around the time of her death. The Greenville Police Department and Greenville County Coroner’s Office are leading the investigation.

A Greenville Police Department spokesperson said that a preliminary investigation had not “indicated any signs of foul play or suspicious circumstances.”

If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health challenges, emotional distress, substance use problems, or just needs to talk, call or text 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org 24/7.

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”