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Heroes favourite Jack Coleman pays emotional tribute to on-screen daughter Hayden Panettiere: "I'm heartbroken"

"Everyone was in awe of her ability to bring it every take. A tiny colossus who loved to laugh. We laughed a lot."

Jack Coleman wearing glasses.

Kevin Winter / Getty Images.

Published: Thursday, 20 August 2026 at 12:43 pm

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Heroes star Jack Coleman has shared an emotional tribute to Hayden Panettiere following the actress’s tragic death at the age of 36.

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Panettiere’s passing was confirmed in a statement by her family in the early hours of Monday morning (17 August).

Coleman, who starred as Noah Bennet – the on-screen father of Panettiere’s character Claire – on the NBC superhero drama described Panettiere as an "extraordinary young woman who was blessed and cursed" in a statement.

"I’m heartbroken," he wrote on Instagram. "I couldn’t begin to put my thoughts into words until now, and they will be inadequate. I’ve loved Hayden since day one of the pilot of Heroes, 20 years ago, when she introduced herself by shouting ‘daddy’ and throwing her arms around me. From that day on, she called me daddio. She was Haydini, because she was a magician."

He continued: "She was a prodigious talent. During an early scene, a tear rolled down her cheek on the same line, take after take. I marveled at her technique. ‘It’s not technique,’ she corrected me. ‘I’m not a trained seal. I feel it and the tears just happen to come at that moment.’ She was 16."

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The actor went on to criticise members of the press who "routinely asked obnoxious questions, mostly some version of 'when are you going to go off the rails?' Today, we’d recognise those questions for the misogynistic provocations they were."

He continued: "She was hunted. Everywhere she went, there were photographers with 300 millimetre lenses – the kind that can make even the most innocent activity look sinister. Once, when she came to our house, paparazzi hid in the bushes behind our yard and drove onto neighbours’ lawns. They were predatory. No one, especially a teenager, should be targeted that way."

"She brought joy to the set and a photographic memory," Coleman continued. "Everyone was in awe of her ability to bring it every take. A tiny colossus who loved to laugh. We laughed a lot. That shining face, that megawatt smile, that wasn’t just for the camera. That was her. She glowed."

Coleman starred in Heroes alongside Panettiere during the show’s four-season run between 2006 and 2010.

Hayden Panettiere wearing a red and black outfit and standing in front of a plain background with a neutral expression.

Hayden Panettiere. Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images

Panettiere a played teenage girl and cheerleader Claire Bennet, who discovers she has remarkable superpowers – specifically that she could spontaneously regenerate.

Coleman appeared as Claire’s adoptive father Noah, a prominent member of a mysterious company that tracks down and imprisons people with such powers.

Continuing, Coleman added: "Today I’m filled with sorrow and regret. And anger. But that’s for another time. Right now I want to remember an extraordinary young woman who was blessed and cursed. She was vulnerable. She felt everything. It made her a remarkable actor and susceptible to the heartache and thousand natural shocks that flesh is heir to."

He concluded: "I love you, Hayden. I’ll miss you. I’m so sorry you suffered. I’ll remember how happy you were on set and on the European press tour; how you championed Tess when she was being bullied; your commitment to animal welfare and the courage to put yourself in harm’s way to protect them. I only wish you had been given that same protection. Good night, sweet girl. And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest."

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Alongside Heroes, Panettiere was also well known for starring as country singer Juliette Barnes in the hit music drama Nashville – a role which earned her two Golden Globe nominations.

The actress will also be remembered for the 2000 sports drama Remember the Titans, and a voice role as Dot in Pixar's 1998 film A Bug’s Life.

She also starred as Kirby Reed in the Scream franchise, while other film roles included Raising Helen, Ice Princess and I Love You, Beth Cooper.

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RadioTimes.com senior trends writer Molly Moss. She is sitting outside wearing a black top, holding a white teacup with a smily face on it to her mouth

Molly MossTrends Writer

Molly Moss is a Trends Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest trends across TV, film and more. She has an MA in Newspaper Journalism and has previously written for publications including The Guardian, The Times and The Sun Online.

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