Celebrity3 min(s) read
Published 11:33 17 Aug 2026 GMT
One of Hayden Panettiere's disturbing confessions about Hollywood has resurfaced following her untimely death.
The 36-year-old actress' death was reported on Sunday (August 16), in a statement from her representative to ABC News, with no cause of death given.
Skip Panettiere, Hayden's father, said in a statement: "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," it read.
The father also asked for privacy, while "our family takes time to process this unimaginable loss."
Her passing has left many in shock, with authorities working to uncover what happened before she died.
But in the months prior to her death, the celebrity opened up on the realities of being a young actress in Hollywood, as part of her memoir This Is Me: A Reckoning.
Speaking during a May 2026 episode of Jay Shetty's podcast, the actress spoke about her memoir and recalled a time when she was taken onto a boat by a friend before being led into a room with an older man.
She explained: “The fact that I was 18, even though I’d lived such a huge life and I thought I was oh so mature at 18 … scientifically, your frontal lobes don’t develop until we’re what, 25, 26?
“So even though I felt like I could make healthy decisions, safe decisions, I wasn’t capable of being fully aware of what was going on around me.”
But when she realized she was "in danger," her "perspective completely shifted."
“I was quite literally out to sea,” she said.
Panettiere described the experience as “shocking,” explaining that nothing earlier in the evening had made her suspect something was wrong.
“There was no hints of anything like that happening,” she recalled. “So it took me by surprise.”
Panettiere added: “She physically put me in the bed next to this undressed man who was very famous.
“My hair stood on end and I became ferocious. I was like, ‘This is not happening.’
“I bolted and hid wherever I could think of to hide on a boat. There was no jumping off and swimming away,” she recalled.
“When you really find somebody that you trust, you hold on to them for dear life. So to be betrayed like that is just an awful feeling.”
The 36-year-old was found unresponsive by authorities at a residence in South Carolina on Sunday, August 16.
Her team confirmed the tragic news of her passing and is working with officials to find the cause of death - she had reportedly traveled from Los Angeles to Greenville one day before the incident occurred.
A statement from the Greenville Police Department said, as per NBC News: "[Officers] accompanied by EMS personnel, responded to a report of an unresponsive female at around 1:50PM Sunday.
"Upon arrival, medical assistance was administered; however, the individual, later identified as Hayden Panettiere, was pronounced deceased at the scene.
"The case is under investigation by the Greenville Police Department in conjunction with the Greenville County Coroner's Office. The preliminary investigation has not indicated any signs of foul play or suspicious circumstances. An acquaintance of Ms. Panettiere placed the 911 call."
