Hayden Panettiere is being remembered by a longtime family friend after her death at age 36.
“She referred to me in her book as her second mother,” Lynsey Lonberg told the Daily Mail on Monday, August 17, referring to Panettiere’s memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning. “She was like a child to me.”
In the interview, Lonberg shared that she had been aware of Panettiere’s struggles with her mental health after welcoming her daughter, Kaya, in 2014 with ex Wladimir Klitschko.
“When she had her child, she had a very difficult delivery and really hard postpartum,” she said. “Not a week of being depressed. It went on for a very long time. It took her a long time to get herself back together. I think working organized things for her. She was a hard worker, focused.”
Panettiere had been candid about seeking treatment for her postpartum depression in 2015. Three years later, she split from Klitschko, 50, and relinquished full custody of their daughter to the former professional boxer, who lives in his native Ukraine.
“She did the best she could for her daughter,” Lonberg said. “It was impossible for her [to] keep up what she was doing as an actress and trying to take care of her daughter. She was trying to overcome the problems she had with drugs.”
Panettiere had also been open about her addiction to alcohol and opioids, entering treatment in 2020. She stayed for eight months as her body adjusted to sobriety.
“She tried and tried and tried to get past her struggles,” Lonberg said, “but she was an actress. She told me that when you go working on a set, all kinds of pills, liquor, all kinds of things are available where you can get anything you want. This kid didn’t have a chance. I don’t think she would have gone down the road she went down if it hadn’t been for Hollywood.”
After news broke on Sunday, August 16, that Panettiere had died, Lonberg called the actress’ father and sent a message expressing her condolences.
“I can’t imagine losing a child, but for him to lose both of his children, I can’t imagine how difficult that must be for a parent. It’s just so devastating,” she said. “He’s a strong man. But how do you pull through this? I don’t know how.” (Hayden’s brother, Jansen Panettiere, died in 2023 from an undiagnosed enlarged heart and aortic valve complications. He was 28.)
Months before her death, Hayden appeared on the cover of Us and spoke about how she had protected her sobriety following the loss of her brother.
“Well, first and foremost, I had to make sure that I didn’t trust myself too much. They say when you’re healing from addiction … never say anything like, ‘I’ve got this,’ because those are famous last words,” she told Us. “Make sure that you have strong people around you. That was my main goal. I knew how vulnerable I was and that I was not going to be able to get through that on my own, and I did not trust myself to do it in a healthy way, because I would have done absolutely anything to ease the pain. I made sure to go back into therapy [to stay] on the right track and be able to process all of that emotion, in a healthy way, showing yourself kindness. I feel like life is one long journey of learning how to love yourself.”
An investigation is still ongoing into Hayden’s death. In dispatch audio obtained by People, authorities mentioned an “overdose” and “cardiac arrest” around the time the Heroes alum died.
Hayden’s autopsy was completed on Monday and determined there were “no signs of trauma” that could have contributed to her death. Her official cause of death has yet to be determined.
If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, contact the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
