Heartbreaking News: Hayden Panettiere Dies at Just 36

Her representative confirmed the news, telling PEOPLE it is with profound sadness that they share the tragic passing of their 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.

TMZ, citing sources with direct knowledge, reported that Panettiere died on Sunday, August 16. Further details surrounding her death are not immediately available. ABC News was first to report the story.

Panettiere’s professional acting career began in 1994 when she was cast in the ABC soap opera One Life to Live. She continued her soap work in 1996 on CBS’s Guiding Light and returned to that series from 1997 to 2000.

She made her film debut at just 9 years old as the narrator and the voice of Princess Dot in Pixar’s A Bug’s Life. One of her early breakout roles came as the football loving young daughter of assistant coach Bill Yoast in the 2000 biographical sports film Remember the Titans.

Her career kept growing with television appearances on shows like Ally McBeal and Malcolm in the Middle, plus films such as Tiger Cruise and Ice Princess. In 2006 she landed a lead role on NBC’s Heroes, playing a high school cheerleader with healing powers. That part launched her to international fame.

After Heroes ended she starred in Scream 4 and later returned to the franchise in Scream 6. She also became widely known for her work on the series Nashville. This remains a developing story.