Such a beautiful tribute to his friend, the late Hayden Panettiere.
The actress is best known for her roles in Heroes, Nashville, and Remember The Titans, died from an apparent overdose on Sunday. She was 36 years old. Her father shared the following statement to ABC News:
“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. We ask for privacy as our family takes time to process this unimaginable loss.”
According to TMZ, she was found dead by a “friend inside a South Carolina home on Sunday afternoon of an apparent drug overdose. 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.
She had quite a few country hits due to her time on Nashville, and prior to that, she put out some pop hits of her own, though she was primarily known as an actress on fan-favorite shows like one of her first roles as 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 absolute classic Remember the Titans. She also starred 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. She played the quick-witted Kirby Reed in the Scream franchise. However, for country music fans, she will always be remembered as the fiery, complicated, and immensely talented country music superstar Juliette Barnes on Nashville.
Of course, she starred alongside the great Connie Britton in Nashville, who shared a sweet tribute to her, as well as Charles Esten, who played Deacon Claybourne, a character that has a complicated relationship with Juliette though they ultimately become close friends.
Esten played at the Grand Ole Opry this weekend, and he shared a beautiful story about the first time he met Hayden at their respective auditions for Nashville. He didn’t know she had been listening behind the door, and she knew right away he was the one for the job:
“You may have heard, me and our ‘Nashville’ family suffered a terrible loss in our dear, dear friend Hayden Panettiere, who played the incredible Juliette Barnes. She was just a bright, shining light, a firework. She was such a great friend to me. So kind from the very beginning.
When I walked out of my ‘Nashville’ audition, my very first audition, I had done two scenes, and I played two songs. And I opened the door to go out of my audition, and bumped into somebody kinda hard. I went out there, and it was Hayden Panettiere, had been listening at the door just like Juliette Barnes would listen to me. And when I came out, she was like, ‘Oh my god, you were so good. You were so great.’
She was so kind to me. And I said, we talked for a moment, and I was already a huge fan of hers from ‘Heroes,’ save the cheerleader, see the world, and I said, I’m a huge fan, so is my family, thank you.'”
Of course, they both ended up getting the job, and Charles later learned that Hayden had walked in right after him and told everyone in the room they were “crazy” if they didn’t hire him. Esten explained that was who Hayden was, such a kind and selfless person, and
“And she was going in to do her audition, and I was leaving, and I said, ‘I’ll see you on the set.’ I was just joking, I was nowhere near landing this job. And a month later, that’s how long it took me to get that role, I came here to Nashville and I showed up on the set, and she pointed right at me, she goes, ‘I see you’re on the set.’
I was later told she walked into that audition, and this was her audition to play Juliette Barnes, and before she said anything about herself, she told the casting director and the producers, the creator, she turned to them, she said, ‘I don’t know who that guy is, but if you don’t hire him, you’re crazy.’
She did that for me, and that’s how she was. The very first scene I ever had with her was right here in the Grand Ole Opry in the hallway right behind us here. And that’s why I want to play this song for my dear friend who I’m gonna miss so much. This is called ‘Somewhere in the Sunshine.'”
It’s beyond tragic that Hayden is gone, and it’s clear just how much she was loved and will be missed by those that knew her as a person. She seemed like such a sweet, kind woman, and this was a beautiful way to honor her life:
@rachelnsmith082 Charles Esten plays beautiful song in memory of Hayden Panittiere 😭. RIP #grandoleopry #nashville @Charles Esten ♬ original sound – Rach Nicole
Here’s one of their first scenes together on the show:
