Hayden Panettiere, who got her start as an actress playing Sarah Roberts on One Life to Live and later played Lizzie Spaulding on Guiding Light, has died. She was 36 years old. In MemoriamHayden Panettiere, Jason Panettiere, and their mother, Lesley Vogel | Image: JPI"It is with profound sadness that we share the tragic passing of our beloved Hayden," the actress's representative said in a statement to ABC. "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."At press time, no further details about Panettiere's death. Panettiere was five days shy of celebrating her 37th birthday, as she was born on August 21, 1989, in Palisades, New York. Her parents were Lesley Vogel (ex-Edy Lester Donovan, Loving) and Skip Panettiere, a fire department captain. After appearing in commercials, Hayden landed her first series regular role as Sarah Roberts on OLTL, the daughter of Cord (John Loprieno) and Tina (then, Krista Tesreau). She remained on that show until 1997. In late 1996, the actress joined the cast of GL as Lizzie Spaulding, the daughter of Phillip (Grant Aleksander) and Beth (Beth Chamberlin). Hayden was thrown into the deep end, taking on stories of her parents splitting up, her killing her mother's abusive boyfriend, Carl (Joseph Murphy), and battling leukemia.Ally McBeal, Heroes, and More View this post on Instagram Instagram PostAfter GL, Hayden was cast as Madison "Maddie" Harrington, the daughter of Ally McBeal (Calista Flockhart, ex-Elise, GL) on Ally McBeal.Hayden was also known for her role on the cult sci-fi NBC series, Heroes, as Claire Bennet, who was a high school cheerleader. Claire possessed the superpower of "rapid cellular regeneration" or the ability to spontaneously heal, physically. On the big screen, Hayden was seen in the films Remember the Titans, which starred Denzel Washington, and Joe Somebody with Tim Allen. Hayden was paired on-screen alongside another daytime star, Jonathan Jackson (ex-Lucky, General Hospital), on the nighttime serial Nashville. The actress played Juliette Barnes, a rising country singer/songwriter, who attempted to take over the top spot from Rayna Jaymes (Connie Britton), who was known as "Queen of Country." Hayden's last role appears to be the 2026 thriller, A grieving mother is haunted by the tragic loss of her daughter in a car accident that left her abusive husband in a coma. Plagued by haunting visions, she grapples with the blurred lines between reality and nightmare.As for movies, Hayden starred in Remember the Titans (2000) with Denzel Washington and Joe Somebody (2001) with Tim Allen. The actress's final role appears to be the 2026 thriller, Sleepwalker. Hayden played, ironically, a character named Sarah, who was a grieving mother, haunted by the tragic loss of her daughter. The accident that killed her child also left her abusive husband in a coma. Sarah was plagued by haunting visions as she grappled with both reality and nightmares. Earlier this year, Hayden's memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning. The autobiography deals with her life as a child actress, struggles with addiction and postpartum depression, and her journey to healing.Hayden was preceded in death by her brother, Jansen Panettiere, an actor, who died in 2023. The actress had one child, a daughter, Kaya Evdokia Klitschko, who was born in 2014. Kaya's father is Ukrainian professional boxer Wladimir Klitschko.Soap Central sends sincere condolences to Panettiere's family at this difficult time.