Podcast host Jay Shetty shared an emotional tribute to Hayden Panettiere after conducting what would become one of her final interviews.
“Dear Hayden,” he began in an Instagram post on Tuesday, August 18. “I’ve been devastated and heartbroken since I heard the news. I’m in shock and have been processing for the past day on your legacy and our loss.”
Shetty, 38, reflected on his experience speaking with Panettiere on his show, “On Purpose,” calling it a “privilege” to sit down with the actress.
“After the episode you told me it was truly healing. You said I was now like a big brother to you and that I helped you be brave,” he wrote. “But Hayden, you were the brave one. You were courageous, resilient, and so incredibly strong through so many difficult moments in your life. You should never have had to experience the things you did.”
Shetty continued, “I hope you know how loved you are. How many people you helped. How your vulnerability moved others. My heart and prayers are with you, your daughter, your family, friends and fans. Rest in peace, Hayden 🩶.”
Panettiere appeared on Shetty’s podcast in May, just three months before she died at age 36. In the wide-ranging conversation, Panettiere opened up about overcoming challenges throughout her life and career.
“Let’s see where my life is going to go, because I finally feel like I have shaken all of this darkness and negativity,” she told Shetty, “and that means I’ve closed one door and another door is opened, and I can feel it opened.”
The Heroes alum added, “I feel like I have a lot more life to live.”
Panettiere further opened up about her childhood in the spotlight, recalling how she “wanted to fit in” with other kids. The actress also shed light on her complicated relationship with her mother, Lesley Vogel, and her decision to give ex Wladimir Klitschko custody of their daughter, Kaya, now 11.
“The idea that anybody would think that I would just give away my child and be OK with it is heartbreaking,” Panettiere said at the time. “Couldn’t be further from the truth. … I would have burnt the world down for my child. So that was incredibly difficult.”
Panettiere and Klitschko welcomed Kaya in 2014, one year after getting engaged. The pair called off their engagement in 2018 but remained cordial for the sake of their daughter.
“Vlad and I are very close,” Panettiere said on the podcast. “Vlad and I are still best friends. There’s not many people who know me in this world as well as he does. And I know that we still have an incredible amount of love for each other. And most importantly, we have an incredible amount of respect for each other.”
Elsewhere in the interview, the Nashville alum got emotional when remembering her brother, Jansen, who died in 2023 at age 28.
“He was my rock. He was the only other person who fully understood everything about me,” she said, admitting it was “hard” to feel like she “failed to keep him safe.”
News broke of Panettiere’s death on Sunday, August 16, and an investigation is still ongoing. Her autopsy was completed and determined there were “no signs of trauma” that would have contributed to her death.
While an official cause of death has not yet been released, dispatch audio obtained by People mentioned an “overdose” and “cardiac arrest” around the time she died.
