Hayden Panettiere’s ex-partner and the father of their 11-year-old daughter, Wladimir Klitschko, has shared a tribute to the late television and film star.
In an Instagram post on Tuesday, the former world heavyweight boxing champion wrote that their family was “going through a time of profound shock and grief.”
“The announcement of Hayden’s tragic death saddens me deeply. She left this world far too soon. Hayden was, although no longer my partner, an important part of my life and the mother of our daughter, Kaya,” he wrote.
“She built an incredible career through immense talent, while also facing the darker sides of a very demanding industry. Nothing will erase the times we shared or the place she had in our lives.”
He went on to address their daughter and Panettiere’s family, saying he would always speak of her with respect and preserve her memory.
“I extend my deepest condolences to Hayden’s parents, her friends, and her fans, who are also grieving today. Young and talented people like Hayden should not leave this world so soon,” he wrote.
“I ask everyone to please respect our family’s feelings and privacy during this incredibly difficult time. For now, this is all I wish to say.
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“Thank you to everyone who is supporting my family and expressing their sincere condolences.
“Rest easy, Hayden. May you find eternal peace.”
The former couple met in 2009, got engaged in 2013 — though never married — and welcomed their daughter the following year. Panettiere suffered from postpartum depression and alcoholism, and when their daughter was three, agreed to sign over full custody to Klitschko.
In her memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning, which was published earlier this year, she wrote: “Not being under the same roof with her every day has been the most gut-wrenching experience of my life, and it’s hard to describe the layers of emotion, including sadness, resentment, and anger I felt because of it…
“I grieve that I’m not the mother I thought I’d be, and definitely not the mother I want to be. Trust me, no one should ever have to raise a child on FaceTime.”
Panettiere remained involved in her daughter’s life.
“Despite it all, the bond I have with Kaya is incredibly strong,” she added.
Panettiere was found unresponsive shortly before 2 p.m. at a residence in Greenville, S.C., on Sunday after police received a call for a reported cardiac arrest.
She was pronounced dead at the scene at 2:32 p.m., the coroner’s office said Monday, adding that an autopsy determined that there were no signs of foul play or trauma.
The cause and manner of her death remain under investigation.
Her father, Skip Pannettiere, announced her death in a statement to ABC News on Sunday.
Panettiere, who was turning 37 on Friday, began acting at the age of four, appearing in soap operas and TV commercials.
Her role as a cheerleader with superpowers in Heroes propelled her to fame in 2006, with the series revolving around the mantra “Save the cheerleader, save the world.”
She went on to win three Teen Choice Awards for that role and was a Grammy Award nominee for a children’s spoken word album recorded a few years after the release of the animated movie A Bug’s Life. She later received two supporting actress nominations at the Golden Globes for her role as Juliette Barnes in Nashville.
Panettiere also appeared in two Scream films, and starred in the 2000s films Ice Princess and Bring It On: All or Nothing and as the title character in the 2009 film I Love You Beth Cooper. She also played the young daughter of a football coach in Remember the Titans.
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