Gayle King thought Hayden Panettiere was “clearly still struggling” after an off-camera conversation with the actress just months ago.
The CBS host, 71, opened Monday morning’s show with a tribute to the late star, who was found dead at 36 in South Carolina on Sunday, August 16.
Panettiere, who starred in Heroes and Nashville, spoke to King in one of her final interviews. She appeared on CBS Mornings on May 18 to promote her newly released memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning. King and Panettiere had a candid conversation about the actress’s reflections on mental health, acting, and motherhood.
The veteran TV anchor said it was “hard” for Panettiere during her interview.
“When she was here in the studio, and I was talking to her off camera, she said she felt she was in a good place,” King recalled, but said that she felt Panettiere was “clearly still struggling.”
“Her daughter meant everything to her,” added King. In 2018, Panettiere relinquished full custody of her daughter to her ex-partner, heavyweight boxing champion Wladimir Klitschko, amid a struggle with postpartum depression and substance abuse.
King said this was one of the “hardest things” Panettiere had to do, but the actress felt it was the “best” decision for her child, now 11.
During her conversation with King in May, Panettiere said she was “better, healthier than I’ve been in a long time.”
King continued to say she was “so, so sad” to hear the news of Panettiere’s death, which she described as “heartbreaking.”
“Her life, as we all know, was marked with many public highs and many public lows, both on screen and off,” said the CBS host, reading aloud tributes that poured in from Hollywood A-Listers including Viola Davis and Selma Blair.
“To wake up to hear this news was really tough,” King said. “She was so good. She would’ve turned 37 on Friday.”
Her official cause of death has not been declared, but initial police reports have said there are no signs of foul play or suspicious circumstances.
TMZ reports say an “acquaintance” of the actress called emergency services, who arrived at the scene around 1:51 p.m. Officials were called to check on an “unresponsive female” in “cardiac arrest.”
According to dispatch audio obtained by People, officials discussed an “overdose.” Panettiere was reportedly given “advanced cardiac life support.” Paramedics who administered chest compressions were unable to revive the actress, who was pronounced dead at 2:32 p.m.
Panettiere’s father, Skip Panettiere, confirmed news of her death in a statement to ABC. “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.”
