Hilary Duff is paying tribute to fellow child star Hayden Panettiere after the actress’ death at age 36.
“Sweet Hayden. Really tough hearing this news,” Duff, 38, wrote in a statement shared via Instagram on Tuesday, August 18. “We lost touch through the years, but I will always remember you as so hardworking and effervescent, with that big, gorgeous smile.”
The “Wake Up” singer continued, “I remember staying up late, chatting and gossiping, and connecting because we were part of such a small sliver of people who actually understood the strange lot in life we were navigating … so young, with no real idea how to make sense of any of it.”
Duff had her breakout moment when she played the titular character in Disney Channel’s Lizzie McGuire at age 13, while Panettiere had childhood roles in the soap operas One Life to Live and Guiding Light and the movie Remember the Titans.
“I so deeply wish this wasn’t the end for you,” Duff concluded in her message to Panettiere. “Sending a heart full of love to your family, the many people you impacted and everyone who loved you. Rest easy.”
Hayden’s father, Skip Panettiere, confirmed on Sunday, August 16, that the Heroes alum had died. She was 36.
“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,” he said in a statement to Us. “We ask for privacy as our family takes time to process this unimaginable loss.”
The Greenville Police Department and Greenville County Coroner’s Office confirmed that officers responded to reports of an “unresponsive female” at a South Carolina residence, later identified as Hayden, and a possible “drug overdose.” First responders and EMS found a woman in cardiac arrest at the scene and performed “advanced cardiac life support measures,” but she was pronounced dead that afternoon.
An investigation is ongoing. Authorities noted that there have not been “any signs of foul play or suspicious circumstances.”
An autopsy found that “no signs of trauma were discovered that would have contributed to the death,” the coroner’s office confirmed. The cause and manner of Panettiere’s death “remain pending further investigation and the completion of additional studies.”
Earlier this week, Spy Kids star Alexa PenaVega — another former child actress and friend of Panettiere’s — paid tribute to the Nashville alum and reflected on the struggles of fame at a young age.
“Hayden, Michelle [Trachtenberg], Daveigh [Chase] … my heart is heavy today,” PenaVega, 37, wrote via Instagram on Monday, August 17. “These aren’t just names from my childhood. They’re girls I grew up alongside, sharing a world that was exciting and also incredibly hard. We were kids navigating something so big, and not everyone had the foundation or support they deserved.”
Trachtenberg, who starred alongside Panettiere in the 2005 film Ice Princess, died at age 39 in February 2025. Chase — who voiced Lilo in the 2002 movie Lilo & Stitch — died at age 35 in June.
“Today, I’m grieving and holding their families close in my prayers and thinking of everyone still fighting battles we can’t see,” PenaVega concluded. “Hug your people close today.”
