Melissa Barrera is among the Scream cast members to pay tribute to Hayden Panettiere following her death, with many franchise fans remembering Panettiere as one of the few co-stars to defend Barrera after her controversial firing. Panettiere was found unresponsive on Sunday, August 16, at a residence in Greenville’s Judson Mill Lofts apartment complex. The Heroes star’s father, Skip Panettiere, confirmed the news in a statement, asking for privacy “as our family takes time to process this unimaginable loss”. The Greenville Police Department said its preliminary investigation “has not indicated any signs of foul play or suspicious circumstances”. Her death remains under investigation alongside the Greenville County Coroner’s Office, which released initial findings from an autopsy on Monday, stating there were no signs of physical trauma. The cause and manner of death are yet to be determined as further studies are being carried out. Credit: NBC The news has sent shockwaves across the globe, with many co-stars and crew members from her work on titles including Heroes and Nashville speaking out to share tributes. Similarly, her horror co-stars have honoured the late star, who played Kirby Reed in the 2011 film Scream 4 before reprising her role in the 2022 sequel Scream. Dewey star David Arquette shared the cover of Panettiere’s May 2026 memoir This Is Me: A Reckoning, writing, “Sending my love to Hayden and her family. She was such a brave and brilliant soul.” Jill actor Emma Roberts shared, “Rest in peace my sweet friend. You are so loved and you will be forever missed.” Barrera, who played Sam Carpenter on screen with Panettiere, wrote on Instagram, “Rest in peace sweet Hayden.” 😭😭 melissa wrote this to hayden panettiere … hayden was the one person who defend melissa through her whole ordeal. god this breaks my heart more 💔 pic.twitter.com/CxIgmp4aCA — ZACH 🇵🇸 (@cozyplup) August 17, 2026 Since this post, many have commented on Panettiere’s support of Barrera, with one X user writing, “She was the only Scream cast member to publicly defend her co-star who got fired for supporting Palestine. May she rest in peace.” Back in November 2023, Barrera was fired from Scream 7 over posts supporting Palestine and criticising the Israeli government for its destruction of Gaza. Spyglass Media Group claimed her comments were interpreted as antisemitic. There was a huge backlash to the decision at the time, with more than 1,300 creatives signing a letter shared by Artists For Palestine UK criticising the string of firings – including Barrera’s – of performers who had spoken in support of Palestine. A couple of months after Barrera’s firing, Panettiere told The Messenger that the move was “unfair and upsetting,” saying she believed her co-star was singled out. Hayden Panettiere Speaks Out About Melissa Barrera's Firing by inScream “After she [spoke out], then a whole bunch of other actors and people in the industry started to do the same thing, right? It was almost like she just did it earlier than everyone else,” she said. Panettiere added that she reached out to Barrera after finding out about the news. “You know, a lot of people hadn’t really asked her how she felt,” she said. “Melissa is such a badass as a human being and as an actress… She was hurt by it, but I think she took it in stride and was very, very gracious about it,” Panettiere finished. At the time, the Heroes star received plenty of praise for speaking out, with one Redditor writing, “I’ve always loved Hayden. I love her even more. She’s a really amazing person, and it’s so nice to see her do this and to know she called Melissa as well.” Featured image credit: Paramount Pictures Post navigation Next storyPrevious story
