American actress Hayden Panettiere, known worldwide for “Heroes” and “Nashville,” died at 36 over the weekend after maintaining a lasting connection to South Africa, where she filmed “Racing Stripes” as a teenager.
Key takeaways
- Her father, Alan “Skip” Panettiere, confirmed her death, while no cause has been announced.
- She spent five months filming in KwaZulu-Natal at age 14 and later described the country as a second home.
- An accident on the “Racing Stripes” set left her with a concussion, whiplash and damage to two neck vertebrae.
- Panettiere became a major television name through “Heroes” and earned two Golden Globe nominations for “Nashville.”
- She is survived by her daughter, Kaya, whose father is former heavyweight boxing champion Wladimir Klitschko.
Panettiere’s enduring South African connection
Alan “Skip” Panettiere confirmed his daughter’s death to ABC News. The family has not disclosed what caused her death.
Her bond with South Africa began more than 20 years ago, when the 14-year-old travelled to KwaZulu-Natal to work on the family film “Racing Stripes.”
Although the story takes place in Kentucky, the production used locations across KwaZulu-Natal. Filming was carried out in the Midlands, while the racing sequences were shot at Scottsville Racecourse in Pietermaritzburg.
Panettiere portrayed Channing Walsh, the daughter of a horse trainer who hopes to become a jockey. In the film, Channing forms a close relationship with Stripes, an orphaned zebra determined to race.
The shoot kept Panettiere in South Africa for five months, and she later described becoming profoundly attached to the country.
“I wanted to belong to something that would keep me connected to South Africa because it had become my home, and I loved it,” she told entertainment journalist Rebecca Murray while discussing the film.
Panettiere remembered arriving in Nottingham Road as a young teenager and feeling intimidated by the area’s remoteness, as well as by the thought of being separated from her family for five months. As the shoot progressed, however, her perspective changed completely.
She visited Cape Town and Johannesburg and went on safari. By the time production wrapped, she said she was so emotionally invested in the country that leaving was difficult.
Her stay also included a serious accident. Panettiere was thrown from a zebra during filming and taken to hospital. She later said the fall caused a concussion, whiplash and injuries to two vertebrae in her neck.
In her 2026 memoir, “This Is Me: A Reckoning,” she returned to the incident and wrote that pain connected to those injuries had continued years later.
Released in 2005, “Racing Stripes” featured Bruce Greenwood alongside Panettiere. The animal cast was voiced by several prominent entertainers, including Dustin Hoffman, Whoopi Goldberg, Snoop Dogg, Steve Harvey, David Spade and Frankie Muniz.
The production was also reported to have contributed approximately R200 million to KwaZulu-Natal’s economy, while bringing global attention to the province as a filming destination.
From child actor to television star
Only a few years after her South African adventure, Panettiere reached a much larger international audience as Claire Bennet on “Heroes,” which debuted in 2006. Claire’s ability to recover from severe injuries made her one of the drama’s defining and most recognisable characters.
She went on to play country music performer Juliette Barnes in the musical series “Nashville.” The role brought her Golden Globe nominations in 2013 and 2014.
Her film résumé also included “Remember the Titans,” “Ice Princess,” “Scream 4” and “Scream VI.”
In later years, Panettiere openly discussed difficult aspects of her private life, including addiction and depression.
Her death follows that of her younger brother, actor Jansen Panettiere, who died in 2023 at 28. His family said he experienced complications involving an enlarged heart and a problem with the aortic valve.
Panettiere is survived by her daughter, Kaya, whom she had with Wladimir Klitschko, the former heavyweight boxing champion.
