Panettiere started acting incredibly young, appearing in commercials before moving into television and landing roles in soap operas, including Guiding Light.

Like so many child actors, she effectively grew up in front of the camera.

One of the roles I remember her most fondly for from her younger years is Sheryl Yoast in Remember the Titans.

Released in 2000, the film starred Denzel Washington and remains one of those sports movies I can happily sit down and watch again today. Panettiere played the football-obsessed daughter of Coach Bill Yoast, played by Will Patton, and despite being surrounded by some seriously experienced actors, she was impossible to ignore.

But it was Heroes that changed everything.

When the series arrived in 2006, Panettiere became one of the most recognisable young actresses on television thanks to her role as Claire Bennet, the seemingly indestructible high-school cheerleader.

And if you watched Heroes back then, you'll probably remember the line:

"Save the cheerleader, save the world."

It was everywhere.

There was something genuinely exciting about that first season of Heroes. Before superhero films completely took over cinemas, here was a television series about ordinary people discovering they could do extraordinary things.

Claire was right at the heart of it.

The role earned Panettiere three Teen Choice Awards and turned her from a successful young actress into an international star.

Panettiere later took on another of the biggest roles of her career as Juliette Barnes in Nashville.

Starring opposite Connie Britton, she played an ambitious young country singer whose confidence and attitude often hid a much more vulnerable person underneath.

It turned out Panettiere could sing too.

She performed her own songs for the series, with several of her recordings making their way onto the Billboard country charts. Her performance also earned her two Golden Globe nominations for Best Supporting Actress.

It was a role that gave her the opportunity to show that there was far more to her than the child star and cheerleader many people still associated her with.

Behind everything audiences saw on screen, Panettiere had spoken openly about how difficult parts of her life had been.

In her memoir This Is Me, released in May, she wrote candidly about growing up in the entertainment industry, addiction, depression and the enormous pressure that came with becoming famous at such a young age.

She had also spoken publicly about experiencing postpartum depression following the birth of her daughter Kaya in 2014.

Rather than pretending everything was fine, Panettiere became remarkably open about her struggles with alcohol, substance abuse, anxiety and depression.

She entered treatment in 2015 while working on Nashville and later described reaching a point where she knew she needed help.

There was further heartbreak in 2023 when her younger brother, actor Jansen Panettiere, died aged just 28 from a heart condition.

Through all of it, however, Hayden continued trying to rebuild her life and career.

That's one of the things that makes this news particularly sad.

Behind everything audiences saw on screen, Panettiere had spoken openly about how difficult parts of her life had been.

In her memoir This Is Me, released in May, she wrote candidly about growing up in the entertainment industry, addiction, depression and the enormous pressure that came with becoming famous at such a young age.

She had also spoken publicly about experiencing postpartum depression following the birth of her daughter Kaya in 2014.

Rather than pretending everything was fine, Panettiere became remarkably open about her struggles with alcohol, substance abuse, anxiety and depression.

She entered treatment in 2015 while working on Nashville and later described reaching a point where she knew she needed help.

There was further heartbreak in 2023 when her younger brother, actor Jansen Panettiere, died aged just 28 from a heart condition.

Through all of it, however, Hayden continued trying to rebuild her life and career.

That's one of the things that makes this news particularly sad.

It's very easy when someone dies young to concentrate entirely on the difficult parts of their life.

I'd rather remember the work as well.

For me, Hayden Panettiere will always immediately bring back memories of Heroes.

Claire Bennet discovering what she could do, that cheerleader uniform, and an entire generation of us hearing the words "Save the cheerleader, save the world."

Others will remember Juliette Barnes in Nashville.

Horror fans will remember Kirby Reed firing off horror trivia in Scream 4.

And some of us will go even further back and remember that little football expert confidently telling everyone exactly what they were doing wrong in Remember the Titans.

She had been acting for most of her life and achieved an extraordinary amount before she was even 30.

Panettiere once described herself as an optimist and wrote about life as an ongoing process of growing and changing.

Sadly, hers has ended far too soon.

Hayden Panettiere was 36 years old.

Rest in peace, Hayden.