{"id":7820,"date":"2026-08-17T11:17:05","date_gmt":"2026-08-17T10:17:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thetab.com\/filmshrine\/?p=7820"},"modified":"2026-08-17T11:17:05","modified_gmt":"2026-08-17T10:17:05","slug":"hayden-panettiere-set-record-straight-daughter-custody-before-her-death-aged-36","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thetab.com\/filmshrine\/2026\/08\/17\/hayden-panettiere-set-record-straight-daughter-custody-before-her-death-aged-36\/","title":{"rendered":"Hayden Panettiere set record straight on custody ‘misconception’ before her death aged 36"},"content":{"rendered":"

In an interview just months before her tragic death at age 36, Hayden Panettiere spoke out about the \u201ccommon misconception\u201d surrounding the custody of her daughter.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Heroes star died on Sunday, August 16, her father Skip Panettiere confirmed in a statement<\/a>. \u201cIt is with profound sadness that we share the tragic passing of our beloved Hayden,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cShe 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 on screen.\u201d He went on to ask for privacy \u201cas our family takes time to process this unimaginable loss\u201d.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Greenville Police Department confirmed Panettiere\u2019s death is currently under investigation, but said as of now there are no signs of foul play.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Hayden
Credit: NBC<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In May, just three months prior to her tragic passing, Panettiere published her memoir This Is Me: A Reckoning<\/a>, where she opened up about being a child star, her breakout roles in Heroes and Nashville, and her personal battles with addiction and the Hollywood system.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

She also spoke about her battle with postpartum depression after giving birth to her daughter, Kaya Evdokia Klitschko, in December 2014.<\/span><\/p>\n

Her ongoing journey to recovery led to Panettiere giving full custody to the father, Ukrainian boxer Wladimir Klitschko, in 2018.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The actress got candid about the situation in an interview on the Jay Shetty Podcast back in May, where she revealed the biggest misconception about her relationship with Kaya.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s been a very common misconception that I just gave up my child, when that could not be farther from the truth,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In prior interviews, she had spoken about how traumatic and difficult the birth was, with Panettiere nearly dying after experiencing severe bleeding and requiring blood transfusions.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Panettiere explained that after Kaya\u2019s birth, she knew something was \u201cterribly, terribly wrong\u201d. Although she never experienced hostility towards her daughter, she struggled to connect with her in the way she had expected and was overwhelmed by anxiety and stress.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n