The actress who starred in Remember the Titans as Sheryl Yoast, a nine-year-old girl who accompanied her father, head coach Bill Yoast, to football training sessions and games, passed away at the age of 36. According to a TMZ exclusive, Hayden Panettiere was found dead in a South Carolina home by a friend.
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“It is with profound sadness that we share the tragic passing of our beloved Hayden,” her father, Skip Panettiere, said in a statement. “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. We ask for privacy as our family takes time to process this unimaginable loss.”
Responding to the news of Panettiere’s death just a few days away from her 37th birthday, and reflecting on her role in the football comedy-drama, former NFL wide receiver Julian Edelman posted a message on his social media.
“RIP Coach Yoast,” wrote Edelman, sharing a post from NFL insider Jordan Schultz featuring an image of Panettiere alongside Coach Herman Boone.
“I cannot believe Hayden Panettiere has passed away. RIP Hayden: you were such a magnetic talent. I’ll never forget the amazing role you played in Remember the Titans, my all-time favorite movie. 🕊️🙏,” Schultz wrote on his Instagram post.
According to NBC News, officers responded to a call about “an unresponsive female” at around 1:50 p.m. on Sunday. Assistance was provided to Panettiere, but she was later “pronounced deceased at the scene.”
At that time, the police said the case was “under investigation by the Greenville Police Department in conjunction with the Greenville County Coroner’s Office. The preliminary investigation has not indicated any signs of foul play or suspicious circumstances. An acquaintance of Ms. Panettiere placed the 911 call.”
A TMZ exclusive reveals that the call to Emergency Medical Services was about a person in “cardiac arrest,” and the medics were sent to perform “CPR on someone who overdosed.”
Panettiere was born on August 21, 1989, in Palisades, New York, and started her career at just 11 months old when she appeared in a Playskool toy train commercial. She then landed a role in the soap operas One Life to Live and Guiding Light at the age of four.
She was best known for her roles in Remember the Titans as Sheryl, cheerleader Claire Bennet in Heroes, Nashville, and the Scream film series.