Hayden Panettiere was only 36 years old when she died unexpectedly this Sunday. Now, one of her final interviews is taking on an especially painful meaning.
In May, while promoting her memoir This Is Me: A Reckoning, the actress spoke with host Jay Shetty about the most difficult years of her life and the path she had taken to leave them behind.
After speaking about her personal struggles and the dark periods she had gone through, Panettiere said that she finally felt she was beginning a new chapter.
“I finally feel like I have freed myself from all this darkness and negativity”, she said.
She then spoke enthusiastically about what she hoped for from the future: “I can feel all the exciting possibilities. I feel like I still have so much life left to live”.
The actress also spoke openly about her daughter Kaya and some of the most difficult decisions she had made as a mother. Her intention, she explained, was to use her own experiences to help other people who were going through difficult times.
Now those statements carry a completely different weight.
Panettiere, known for her roles in Heroes and Nashville, was found dead on Sunday in South Carolina. Her family confirmed her death, but the cause of death has not yet been publicly determined.
Months before her death, Hayden spoke about closing a chapter, looking ahead, and regaining hope.
“I feel like I still have so much life left to live”.
Today, those words have become one of the most painful memories of her final months.
Here is the moment: