Hayden Panettiere, the original Lizzie Spaulding of Guiding Light, and one of the leading stars of ABC’s country music drama Nashville, has died at the age of 36. According to a report on Sunday night, August 16 from TMZ, who broke the news of Hayden’s passing. Panettiere was also well-known for her role in the primetime series Heroes.

Sources close to the situation have told the outlet that Panettiere died on Sunday morning, although details of her death are still undisclosed, there is a current ongoing investigation into the matter. Brian Hickerson’s, Panetierre’s on-again off-again boyfriend and her flew from Los Angeles to South Carolina on Saturday. They reported, it’s a “sad situation.”

Meanwhile, the actress’ father, Skip Panettiere offered a up this statement to ABC News. “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.” Her father asked for privacy “as our family takes time to process this unimaginable loss.”

Photo: CBS

FROM HER EARLY YEARS ON ONE LIFE TO LIVE AND GUIDING LIGHT TO HEROES AND NASHVILLE

Panettiere began her career at a very young age with roles on television and film including her Daytime Emmy-nominated role as the original Lizzie Spaulding, the daughter of Phillip (Grant Aleksander) and Beth Raines (Beth Chamberlin) on CBS’ Guiding Light. It’s a part she played from December 1996 until 2000. Before Guiding Light, Hayden also appeared on ABC’s One Life to Live as Sarah Roberts, the daughter of Cord (John Loprieno) and Tina Lord Roberts (then played by Krista Tesreau) from 1994-1997, and right up until she left to go to Guiding Light.

In primetime, Panettiere is remembered for her roles as Claire Bennet on the hit series Heroes (2006-2010) and as Juliette Barnes on the musical drama Nashville where she starred opposite General Hospital alum, Jonathan Jackson’s (ex-Lucky) role of Avery Barkley. Nashville ran for six seasons on ABC and them moved over to CMT for two final seasons (2012-2018).

In films, Hayden also starred in: Remember the Titans (2000), Raising Helen (2004), Ice Princess (2005) and as Kirby Reed in three ‘Scream’ franchise films including: Scream 4 (2011), and cameos in its sequel Scream (2022) and Scream VI (2023), to name but a few.

Throughout her career, Panettiere earned Golden Globes, Critics Choice Television Awards, Teen Choice Awards and People’s Choice Awards for her role in Nashville. Her performance in Heroes landed her Teen Choice nomination and a Young Artist Award. She also won a Young Artist Award for her role in Remember the Titans.

Courtesy/ABC

HAYDEN PANETTIERE RELEASED MEMOIR EARLIER IN 2026

Back on May 19, 2026, Hayden released a memoir titled This Is Me: A Reckoning, which talked about her struggles from childhood to adulthood in front of the camera and off including her battles with alcohol and pill addiction, postpartum depression and more.

Sadly, Hayden’s brother Jansen Panettiere, died suddenly back in February 2023 from cardiomegaly (enlarged heart) coupled with aortic valve complications. He was only 28 at the time of his death. Hayden told PEOPLE that she would never be able to get over her brother’s death, citing, “No matter how many years go by, I will never get over his loss.”

Panettiere is the mother to one child, her daughter Kaya Klitschko, 11, whom she had in December of 2014 with her ex-fiancé, heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko.

This is a developing story and Michael Fairman TV will provide updated information and details on the passing of Hayden Panettiere as they become available.

Now below, share your thoughts and prayers to the Panettiere family and your remembrances of Hayden via the comment section below.

Mark Rydell, one of the most highly-lauded motion picture directors in Hollywood, and who got his start acting on the soaps, has died. He was 97.

The news of his passing came from Bette Midler, who starred in The Rose, which Rydell also directed. Midler took to her Instagram on Friday, August 14 and shared the news.

Bette expressed, “Mark Rydell, the director or my first film, The Rose, died this morning. He was an actor of note before he became a director, and I was so lucky to have met him when I did; he taught me so much on The Rose and later on For The Boys. Two Oscars nominations both because of him. He was the actor’s whisperer; just a few words was all it took to understand what was needed.”

Photo: JPI

As soap fans know, Rydell got his first big break playing Jeff Baker on As the World Turns. The popular character was involved on-screen with then star of the CBS soap opera, Rosemary Prinz (ex-Penny Hughes). He stayed in the role from 1956-1962. When the producers wanted him to re-up his contract, Rydell decided to leave, and so the writers killed-off the character of Jeff in a car crash. Before ATWT, Rydell played Walt Johnson on The Edge of Night. 

MARK RYDELL DIRECTED SOME OF HOLLYWOOD’S BIGGEST STARS

After a busy career in primetime television roles, Mark began to direct in 1967 with the controversial feature, The Foxes. Because of his acting beginnings, Rydell was known as an actors director. Thus, began an enduring career in Hollywood directing films with some of movies biggest stars at the time including: Steve McQueen in 1969’s The Reivers, John Wayne in 1972’s The Cowboys, and James Caan and Marsha Mason in 1973’s Cinderella Liberty. In 1976, he also directed the pilot episode of the hit ABC domestic drama Family.

It was in 1979, that Rydell directed Bette Midler in her first feature film and lead role in The Rose, in which she was Oscar-nominated, and by 1981, the former soap star was directing the likes of Katherine Hepburn, Henry Fonda, and Jane Fonda in On Golden Pond, for which he received his only Academy Award nomination as a director. He followed with The River (1984), For the Boys (1991), and many more through the years.

Rydell was previously married  from 1962 to 1973 to Joanne Linville who had appeared on Guiding Light, The Goddess, and 1976’s film version of a A Star Is Born. The couple had two children, Amy and Christopher. Later, a second marriage to Esther Rydell produced his son, Alexander, before ending in divorce.

Survivors include Rydell’s three children, three grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Sad to hear of the news of the passing of one of the great directors of our time, Mark Rydell? Do you remember him as Jeff Baker on As the World Turns? Let us know via the comment section.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Bette Midler (@bettemidler)

Rosie O’Donnell revealed that she plans to head back to a seat at the table of ABC’s morning talk show The View.

The announcement came during Monday’s episode of The Tangle Podcast where she shared she will participate in “in whatever way they want” her or “just as a guest” for its upcoming 30th season.

The View’s season 30 will kick-off this fall in September. O’Donnell explained, “They’re bringing back all the hosts, I think. And, you know, I’m pretty proud of that show, what it’s become and how it really speaks to the people and to politics.”

Photo: ABC

ROSIE ON HER PREVIOUS GO-ROUNDS ON THE VIEW

As fans of The View know, O’Donnell famously had two different one-year stints on the talk show in 2007 and again in 2014- 2015. She often feuded with then co-host Elizabeth Hasselbeck.

However, during her discussion with host, Kyle Ridley on The Tangle Podcast, O’Donnell also noted she often had tense moments with longtime moderator and anchor, Whoopi Goldberg.

O’Donnell also expressed, “Many, many people got the short end of the stick there. It was, you know, it was a factory where people were being churned in and out and their tenuous security, nobody got to be calm. It also was a show at the time that was run by a man. A show created by a woman, for women, about women, and the man was deciding what we should talk about. And that didn’t sit right with me, you know.”

Back in 2023, Brooke Shields had asked Rosie on her podcast, Now What? with Brooke Shields, about how she felt on her two stints at The View and all the controversy that surrounded it. Rosie at that time, stated, “I know this, it’s not the best use of my talent to get in a show where I have to argue and defend basic principles of humanity and kindness. It was not something I’d ever do again.”

You can check out the clip with Rosie and Kyle Ridley discussing her return to The View in some form for its upcoming 30th season below.

Then weigh-in: Would you be excited to see Rosie, even for a one-day or a week guest stint on the upcoming celebratory season of The View, or not so much? Let us know via the comment section.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Kyle Ridley (@kyleridley_)