Wladimir Klitschko has spoken out following the death of his former partner, actress Hayden Panettiere, describing his family as being in “a time of profound shock and grief.”
Panettiere, best known for her roles in Heroes and Nashville, died at the age of 36 on Sunday, August 16. She was found unresponsive at a property in Greenville, South Carolina, after suffering cardiac arrest. The retired Ukrainian heavyweight boxing champion, who shares nine-year-old daughter Kaya with Panettiere from their previous relationship, posted a lengthy statement to Instagram addressing the loss.
Klitschko wrote that the news of her passing had saddened him deeply, adding that she had “left this world far too soon.” Despite their relationship ending years ago, the boxer made clear the actress remained significant to him. “Hayden was, although no longer my partner, an important part of my life and the mother of our daughter, Kaya,” he wrote on Instagram, before promising to keep her memory alive for their child, vowing he would always speak of her mother “with respect.”
The boxer also used his statement to reflect on the actress’s career, acknowledging the “immense talent” she showed throughout her time in the industry while also referencing the pressures that come with life in the public eye. He said nothing could erase the memories the pair shared or the role she had played in his life.
Klitschko went on to extend his condolences to Panettiere’s parents, friends and fans, writing that “young and talented people” like her “should not leave this world so soon.” He asked for the public to respect his family’s privacy during what he described as an incredibly difficult time, before thanking those who had already reached out with support and condolences. He closed the tribute with the hashtag “#WeLoveYouHayden.”
Panettiere’s death was confirmed by her father, Skip Panettiere, in a statement to ABC News. “It is with profound sadness that we share the tragic passing of our beloved Hayden,” he said. “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.” No official cause of death has been released, though preliminary autopsy results found no signs of trauma, according to the Greenville County Coroner’s Office.
The actress had been open about her personal struggles in recent years, including her battle with postpartum depression and addiction following Kaya’s birth in 2014. In her memoir This Is Me: A Reckoning, published in May 2026, she detailed her experiences with motherhood, her recovery journey, and the loss of custody of her daughter to Klitschko. She described signing away custody as “the most heartbreaking thing I’ve ever, ever had to do in my life.”
In the viral moment that defined much of her later public narrative, Panettiere had revealed on Red Table Talk that she thought Kaya was only visiting Ukraine when the child went to stay with Klitschko, and that she expected to regain custody after completing treatment for alcohol and pill addiction. “I was gonna go work on myself and I was gonna get better, and when I got better that things could change and she could come to me,” she said. Instead, Klitschko sought full custody, which Panettiere said was “a shock to me.”
Panettiere’s final Instagram post, shared on July 27, showed her smiling alongside director and photographer Randall Slavin with the caption “Good times and good friends @randallslavin.” She had canceled a scheduled appearance at a horror convention in Ontario, California earlier in July due to what her representative described as “a private family matter concerning the health of an elderly relative.”
Her on-again, off-again boyfriend Brian Hickerson, who had flown with Panettiere from Los Angeles to South Carolina the day before her death, has since deleted his Instagram account after facing backlash from fans. The Greenville Police Department stated that preliminary investigation has not indicated any signs of foul play or suspicious circumstances, and the coroner’s office will perform additional studies to determine cause of death.
The autopsy results remain pending.