A long history with country music.
Actress Hayden Panettiere, who was best known for her roles in Heroes, Nashville, and Remember The Titans, tragically passed away on Sunday from an apparent overdose at the age of 36.
According to TMZ, she was found dead by a “friend inside a South Carolina home on Sunday afternoon. Emergency Medical Service workers responded to a call of a person in ‘cardiac arrest’ and an ‘unresponsive female.’” EMS worked to try and resuscitate her, however she was pronounced dead at the scene. Police suspect no foul play, however, the tragic death is under investigation.
Brian Hickerson, Panettiere’s “on and off” boyfriend from 2018 to 2022 reportedly flew from Los Angeles to South Carolina on Saturday and was with the actress at the time of her death, along with his brother.
Hickerson was arrested multiple times during the course of their relationship, and in 2021, he was sentenced to 45 days in prison for domestic violence. They were also seen together back in March of this year, and had apparently quietly rekindled their relationship in recent months.
Panettiere started acting as a child with one of her first roles being the voice of Princess Dot in Pixar’s A Bug’s Life. She also played Gennifer “Gen” Harwood in Ice Princess, and the football-obsessed coach’s daughter, Sheryl Yoast, in the classic Remember the Titans, along with roles in Raising Helen, I Love You, Beth Cooper, Guiding Light, Ally McBeal, a Bring It On sequel and much more.
Her breakout role came in 2006 with the cultural phenomenon that was Heroes, and she would also play the quick-witted Kirby Reed in the Scream franchise.
However, for country music fans, Panettiere will always be best remembered as the fiery, complicated, and immensely talented country music superstar Juliette Barnes on Nashville.
Panettiere actually charted 11 different tracks on the Billboard Hot Country Songs list during her run on the show, earning two Golden Globe nominations and giving country music fans one of the most compelling, messy, and fiercely independent characters to ever hit primetime TV.
Because of her role in Nashville, Panettiere was closely linked with the country music industry during her time on the show. Aside from releasing her own music through the show, performing around Music City (including at the historic Ryman Auditorium) and even appearing in a music video for Jason Aldean.
Back in 2013, Aldean released a music video for his then-current single “1994.” The song was, of course, a tribute to Joe Diffie, and received mixed reviews given the…well, kind of corny lyrics:
“1994
Joe Diffie comin’ out my radio
I’m just a country boy with a farmer’s tan
So help me, girl, I’ll be your pickup man
How ’bout a night to remember and a fifth of Goose?
‘Bout to bust out my honky tonk attitude
A little feel good you ain’t never felt before
I’m talkin’ 1994″
I mean, it’s no “He Stopped Loving Her Today” but it’s kinda catchy.
Well the music video, ironically, didn’t feature Diffie himself, but it did feature several country stars including the song’s co-writer Thomas Rhett, Luke Bryan, Lady Antebellum, Florida Georgia Line, Dierks Bentley, Jake Owen and Little Big Town. (Talk about a time capsule from the early 2010s).
Panettiere also appeared in the music video, which is a throwback to the cheesy videos that dominated the ’90s. But her inclusion in the video really shows just how much of an impact the television show had on Nashville and country music at the time.
It’s a tragic situation when anybody dies that young, but it’s especially sad that her death appears to be connected to the trauma and demons that she suffered from during her short life.
But at least she left behind a large catalog of incredible work that will live on long after she’s gone.
