EXCLUSIVE: Hayden Panettiere's 'Will' Shows She Left Fortune of Up to $15Million
Hayden Panettiere's will revealed she left a fortune worth up to $15million following her tragic death.
Aug. 17 2026, Published 1:43 p.m. ET
Hayden Panettiere has left behind a fortune estimated at up to $15million after building an extraordinary Hollywood career that began when she was an infant, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
The Heroes and Nashville actress died on Monday, August 17, aged 36, her representative confirmed to ABC News, with the circumstances surrounding her death unknown.
Multi-Million Fortune Revealed After Death
Hayden Panettiere built an extraordinary Hollywood career that began when she was an infant.
Panettiere spent almost her entire life in show business, progressing from commercials and soap operas to major television and movie roles, endorsements and property investments.
Details of her will and the value of her estate at death have not been officially disclosed – but Radar can reveal she left behind a fortune of around $15million.
Her father, Skip Panettiere, said about the actress' passing: "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 on screen."
Estimates published before her death placed Panettiere's net worth between $12million and $15million as of mid-2026, with television and film believed to account for much of her wealth.
Major TV Paydays From Heroes And Nashville
The actress accumulated a fortune estimated at up to fifteen million dollars.
Celebrity Net Worth estimated Panettiere earned $75,000 per episode playing country singer Juliette Barnes on Nashville.
She appeared in 124 episodes between 2012 and 2018, potentially putting her earnings from the series alone at close to $10million.
Her estimated earnings included $2million from Heroes, $9.3million from Nashville and $1million from Scream 4, according to our sources.
Born in Palisades, New York, on August 21, 1989, Panettiere began appearing in commercials as an infant before moving into soap operas including One Life to Live and Guiding Light.
She received her first movie credit in 1998, voicing Princess Dot in A Bug's Life, before achieving international recognition as Claire Bennet in NBC's Heroes in 2006.
Panettiere later starred in Nashville and played Kirby Reed in 2011's Scream 4, returning to the role in Scream VI in 2023.
Her other credits included I Love You, Beth Cooper and the TV movie Amanda Knox.
Endorsement Deals And Real Estate Holdings
Panettiere secured lucrative endorsement contracts with brands like Neutrogena and Candie's.
Panettiere's income extended beyond acting.
She performed vocals for the Nashville soundtrack, worked on Disney projects, and provided voices for video games including the Kingdom Hearts and Until Dawn series.
The actress also became the face of Neutrogena in 2008 and worked with Kohl's, Candie's and Dooney and Bourke, designing a limited-edition handbag.
Panettiere invested in property, buying a Hollywood Hills home for approximately $2.635million in 2008 before selling it for about $3.075million in 2014.
She later owned a newly constructed home in Nashville, which she sold for $1.65million in October 2018.
Tragic Family Loss And Estate Details
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She shared her daughter Kaya with former fiancé Wladimir Klitschko.
Panettiere was also the mother of her daughter Kaya, whom she shared with former fiancé Wladimir Klitschko.
She had previously described relinquishing custody to Klitschko in 2018 as "absolutely one of the worst days of my life," adding it "will always be."
Panettiere spent her entire life in show business, beginning in commercials as an infant before graduating to soap operas including One Life to Live and Guiding Light.
Her breakthrough came as cheerleader Claire Bennet in NBC's Heroes, which made her an international star.
She later enjoyed another major television success playing country singer Juliette Barnes in Nashville from 2012 to 2018, while her movie career included Remember the Titans, I Love You, Beth Cooper, Scream 4 and Scream VI.
Panettiere – whose is "sure" to be included in a will she is thought to have drawn up before her death, according to our sources – also worked as a singer and voice actor, appearing on the Nashville soundtrack and lending her voice to A Bug's Life and video games.
Away from acting, she secured lucrative endorsement deals with brands including Neutrogena, Kohl's, Candie's and Dooney and Bourke.
Despite well-documented personal struggles, Panettiere built a decades-long career spanning television, movies, music, advertising and gaming.
