Hayden Panettiere’s ex-fiancé Wladimir Klitschko shares heartbreaking statement following her death aged 36
Wladimir Klitschko has issued a statement following the death of his ex-fiancée, Hayden Panettiere.
The Bring It On actress died in Greenville, South Carolina, on Sunday (16 Aug), aged just 36.
Her father, Skip, confirmed in a 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."
While Panettiere's cause of death is yet to be confirmed, 911 dispatch audio shared with the press heard investigators called to the scene describe the situation as an 'overdose' and 'cardiac arrest'.
Advert
"I don’t have any more information at this time, but it’s looking as though that is the case," her representative subsequently told PEOPLE.
Taking to Instagram on Tuesday, her former partner, Ukrainian boxer Klitschko, shared a photo of the late actress alongside Panettiere and their 11-year-old daughter, Kaya.
"Our family is going through a time of profound shock and grief," he wrote. "The announcement of Hayden’s tragic death saddens me deeply.
"She left this world far too soon. Hayden was, although no longer my partner, an important part of my life and the mother of our daughter, Kaya.
"She built an incredible career through immense talent, while also facing the darker sides of a very demanding industry. Nothing will erase the times we shared or the place she had in our lives."
The sportsman continued: "To our daughter Kaya, I will always speak of her mother with respect and make sure she remembers the person she was.
"I extend my deepest condolences to Hayden’s parents, her friends, and her fans, who are also grieving today. Young and talented people like Hayden should not leave this world so soon.
"I ask everyone to please respect our family’s feelings and privacy during this incredibly difficult time. For now, this is all I wish to say."
Klitschko concluded: "Thank you to everyone who is supporting my family and expressing their sincere condolences.
"Rest easy, Hayden. May you find eternal peace. #WeLoveYouHayden."
The former couple are understood to have met in 2008 at a party hosted by a mutual friend.
Though it would take them another year to begin dating, Panettiere later told TV host Ellen DeGeneres she made the first move, supposedly approaching Klitschko to tell him, 'You're huge,' to which he responded, 'You're tiny.'
They embarked on an initial two-year relationship which ended in May 2011.
"Even though we’ve decided splitting up is best for both of us, we have an amazing amount of love and respect for each other and remain very close friends," the actress later told the press.
Klitschko added at the time: "We had a great time together, but it’s not that easy to manage a relationship between two continents. I have a lot of respect for Hayden as a person and as a friend, and I believe we’ll keep our friendship even after the separation."
Two years later, however, they were back together, and by 2013, they were engaged.
The following May, Panettiere confirmed she was pregnant with their first child, and seven months later, Kaya was born.
"We are over the moon and madly in love!" the couple shared in a statement.
Sadly, however, in the years that followed, Panettiere suffered severe postpartum depression, after which she and Klitschko split for good.
Eventually, she gave up custody of Kaya after struggling with 'years of battling depression and anxiety and alcoholism and substance abuse', she told Jay Shetty back in May of this year.
Confirming Kaya has lived with her father in Ukraine ever since, she emphasised, however: "The idea that anybody would think that I would just give away my child and be OK with it is heartbreaking.
During the same episode, the TV star reflected upon the 'misconception' that she was 'forced into treatment' for substance abuse in the years prior, claiming she'd been 'the one who sought it out'.
She entered rehab in 2015, after which she began 'trying to find my way back, my way out of the darkness'.
"By the time I finally got healthy, I felt like it would have been unfair of me to and selfish of me to try to pull her out away from this life that that she had," Panettiere told Shetty.
Later in the episode, she spoke optimistically about the years ahead, claiming she'd 'shaken off all of this darkness and this negativity'.
"I’ve closed one door and another door is opened," she concluded. "I can feel all the exciting possibilities. I feel like I have a lot more life to live."
Topics: Celebrity, US News, World News, News
Rhianna Benson