Hayden Panettiere’s ex-fiancé and father of her child has shared a heartbreaking tribute to the actress, who died this week at 36.
The former world heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko said the family is in “profound shock and grief” after Panettiere’s sudden death. Klitschko and Panettiere share an 11-year-old daughter, Kaya.
The Heroes actress was found dead in Greenville, South Carolina, on Sunday, August 16. The official cause of death has yet to be determined, but Greenville police have said there were no initial signs of foul play or suspicious circumstances.
Klitschko, 50, posted a statement in the wake of his former partner’s death, saying 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. 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 wrote.
The Ukrainian boxer said he promises to help his daughter remember Panettiere well.
“To our daughter Kaya, I will always speak of her mother with respect and make sure she remembers the person she was,” he wrote.
“I extend my deepest condolences to Hayden’s parents, her friends, and her fans, who are also grieving today,” he continued. “Young and talented people like Hayden should not leave this world so soon. 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. Thank you to everyone who is supporting my family and expressing their sincere condolences. Rest easy, Hayden. May you find eternal peace. #WeLoveYouHayden.”
Panettiere and Klitschko met at a party in Los Angeles in 2009. The couple announced their engagement in 2013 but never married. Panettiere gave birth to their daughter in 2014.
In 2018, Panettiere relinquished full custody of their daughter, who was 4 at the time, to Klitschko amid her struggles with postpartum depression and substance abuse.
“I mean it was the worst signing those papers and like the most heartbreaking thing I’ve ever, ever had to do in my life,” she said of her decision in 2022.
“The papers were to give him full custody, and I was gonna go work on myself, and I was gonna get better,” she added. “And when I got better, then things could change, and she could come to me, and I could have my time with her. But that didn’t happen.”
Kaya lives with her father in Ukraine. Panettiere revealed this year that she has a strong bond with her daughter and hoped that she may move closer one day.
In one of her final interviews in May 2026, Panettiere spoke warmly about her ex, saying he made her feel “safe” and she had found a chivalrous partner in Klitschko.
“I have a great relationship with—co-parenting relationship with Wlad,” she told NPR in May. “Which I’m incredibly grateful for.”
Panettiere died days before her 37th birthday. A long list of Hollywood A-listers, colleagues, and friends have posted tributes to the star.
