Wladimir Klitschko Honours Hayden Panettiere on What Would Have Been Her 37th Birthday

Five days after Hayden Panettiere's death, her former partner Wladimir Klitschko posted a birthday tribute to the actress on Instagram, on what would have been her 37th birthday. Klitschko thanked her fans and friends for their support and urged readers to think about love, forgiveness, and kindness (Variety).

Panettiere died on Sunday, 16 August 2026, at age 36. Police said there were no signs of foul play, and an autopsy found no signs of trauma. No cause of death has been determined; the case remains under investigation (AP News).

Emergency workers found Panettiere unresponsive at Judson Mill Lofts, in Greenville, South Carolina, and attempted lifesaving measures before declaring her dead at 2:31 p.m. A 911 call obtained by Reuters indicated she was in cardiac arrest, according to the Greenville County Coroner's Office (USA Today; Reuters). Her on-and-off boyfriend, Brian Hickerson, was at the apartment where she died (AP News).

Klitschko, a former professional boxer who won Olympic gold for Ukraine in the super-heavyweight division at the 1996 Games, had issued a statement shortly after her death saying it saddened him deeply and noting that she was the mother of their daughter, Kaya (Variety).

The two dated on and off for nearly a decade, beginning in 2009. They became engaged before Panettiere gave birth to Kaya in 2014. The relationship ended in 2018, when Panettiere gave up custody of Kaya while struggling with postpartum depression and addiction (Variety).

Panettiere rose to fame as a star of the television series "Heroes" and "Nashville" (AP News). She had been in the public eye since childhood, and her career spanned film and television across more than two decades.

Klitschko's birthday message closed a week of public mourning that followed the initial reports of her death on 17 August.