Actress Rose McGowan used a Friday Instagram tribute to fellow “Scream” alum Hayden Panettiere to argue that child stardom itself carries lasting damage, adding her voice to a growing chorus of Hollywood figures questioning how the industry treats young performers.
Panettiere died last Sunday at 36 at a residence in Greenville, South Carolina, where she had been temporarily staying. McGowan, 52, posted over a video of ocean waves: “Rest in Power Hayden Paniettiere [sic]. Don’t put kids in show business. None of this is normal.
May her spirit be free of those who orchestrated.” McGowan, who has spent years advocating for women in the entertainment industry since coming forward as one of Harvey Weinstein’s accusers, played Tatum Riley in the original 1996 “Scream” before Panettiere joined the franchise as Kirby Reed in 2011 and again in 2023.
Investigators have not released an official cause of death. The Greenville County Coroner’s Office said an autopsy conducted the day after Panettiere died found no signs of trauma, and police described no indication of foul play. Dispatch audio reviewed by multiple outlets referenced a possible overdose, and the Drug Enforcement Administration has since joined the inquiry alongside local police. Panettiere had written candidly in her memoir, “This Is Me: A Reckoning,” published this spring, about years of struggling with opioids and alcohol.
Panettiere began acting before her first birthday, appearing in commercials, then in the soap opera “Guiding Light” and Pixar’s “A Bug’s Life.” She broke out as a teenager in Disney’s “Remember the Titans” and later carried two long-running franchises, playing Claire Bennet on “Heroes” and Juliette Barnes on “Nashville.” Her younger brother, Jansen, also an actor, died in 2023 at 28 from a heart condition, a loss she later said she never fully recovered from.
Tributes have poured in from former collaborators. Actress Viola Davis, who co-starred with Panettiere in “Custody,” described her as an old soul with unusual depth. “Nashville” co-star Connie Britton called her radiant, and Emma Roberts, her “Scream 4” castmate, said she would be deeply missed. Panettiere’s ex-fiancé, boxer Wladimir Klitschko, marked what would have been her 37th birthday Friday with a message thanking fans for their outpouring of support during what he called a devastating time.
