Hayden Panettiere cancelled public appearance just weeks before her death over mystery ‘family emergency’

BELOVED actress Hayden Panettiere suddenly cancelled a scheduled public appearance just weeks before her tragic death. The 36-year-old Heroes and Nashville star bailed on a horror convention appearance after a “family emergency” forced her to stay close to home. Hayden at the premiere of Scream VI on March 6, 2023 in New York City Credit: Getty The statement confirming Hayden had pulled out of Creep I.E. Con The TV and Hollywood star died on Sunday at 2.32pm with her heartbroken dad calling her an “incredible light and a force of nature”. A cause of death is yet to be announced with cops saying she was found unresponsive in an apartment by an “acquaintance”. Sign up for the Showbiz newsletter Thank you! Detectives have said a preliminary investigation hasn’t indicated any signs of foul play or suspicious circumstances. It comes just over a month after Hayden was forced to pull out of the popular Creep I.E. Con in Ontario, California. Read more on Hayden Panettiere It comes as… Hayden Panettiere has died aged 36, her father announced The actress’s death had ‘no signs of foul play’ after an ‘acquaintance’ found tragic star unresponsive Brave Hayden battled decades of pain and turmoil from a custody battle and a family death to domestic abuse Tributes have been paid by Hollywood celebrities including Cruel Intentions actress Selma Blair and Sister Sister star Tia Mowry In a heartbreaking final interview Hayden opened up about her struggles but declared: ‘I have a lot more life left to live’ Hayden’s tragic final post shows the actress smiling with close pal as she hailed ‘good times and good friends’ Hayden was due to appear in front of huge crowds for the annual event which is based around all things horror. The New York native is a well-known face in the horror film community after a starring role in Scream VI where she played Kirby Reed in 2011. Most read in Showbiz The actress with her late brother Jansen who died in 2023 Credit: Getty Actress Hayden Panettiere, pictured here in 2007, suddenly cancelled a scheduled public appearance just weeks before her tragic death Credit: Splash But much to the fan’s disappointment, Creep I.E. Con organisers said Hayden had cancelled her appearance across July 11 and 12 weekend. They announced in a statement: “Hayden Panettiere has an emergency and will not be able to attend this weekend. “We are looking forward to her appearing at an upcoming show.” A rep for Hayden later told Page Six she cancelled “due to a private family matter concerning the health of an elderly relative”. Hayden was due to appear alongside Scream co-star Nico Tortorella but was replaced by Lolita star Dominique Swain. Christina Ricci, John Carroll Lynch and Carel Struycken were all also forced to reschedule their appearances at the convention for separate matters. It remains unclear who the family emergency was about which caused Hayden to no show at Creep I.E. Con. Back in 2023, the Panettiere family were grieving the death of Hayden’s younger brother Jansen who was aged just 28. Hayden starred as Claire Bennett in the acclaimed series Heroes Credit: Universal Tv/Kobal/Shutterstock The star’s final post showed her smiling alongside a close friend Also a budding actor, Jansen suddenly died after suffering from cardiomegaly, known as an enlarged heart, coupled with aortic valve complications. Hayden was believed to have seen her sibling’s body before police arrived. She told People magazine after the devastating discovery that she felt like she had “lost half of her soul” when Jansen died. The actress was also said to have been largely estranged from her mother Lesley Vogel. Lesley acted as Hayden’s manager throughout her childhood and even helped her land a first TV role in an advert when she was just 11 months old. But when the Heroes actress turned 19, she asked Lesley to step down and just be a parental figure, to which she responded: “You owe me.” Hayden had publicly spoken about her difficulties with mental health and addiction after first being handed “happy pills” before a red carpet event as a teenager. She would then suffer with a serious bout of postpartum depression which led to her giving up custody of her daughter, Kaya, then 11, in 2018. Hayden with former fiancee Ukrainian boxing champion Wladimir Klitschko in 2010 Credit: Getty A young Hayden Panettiere during an interview with TV host Jay Leno in 1996 Credit: Getty Hayden shared a daughter with retired Ukrainian professional boxer Wladimir Klitschko, with whom she had an on-and-off relationship between 2009 and 2018. The pair – who had a 14-year age gap – were engaged from 2013 but split up before tying the knot. Hayden, who would have turned 37 on Friday, landed her first acting gig when she was four-years-old on the American soap opera One Life to Live. The diminutive 5ft star then quickly became one of America’s most promising stars after a starring role in the Pixar film A Bug’s Life. Hayden would also feature in Remember the Titans alongside Denzel Washington in 2000, Racing Stripes in 2005 and Scream VI where she played Kirby Reed in the 2011 horror film. Her standout roles would come in TV where she starred in 73 episodes of Emmy-award winning Heroes between 2006 and 2010, as cheerleader Claire Bennet. Hayden later earned two Golden Globe nominations as Juliette Barnes on Nashville, where she featured in 128 episodes from 2012 to 2018. Comment now