Boxing Champion Vows to Honor Hayden Panettiere’s Legacy for Their Daughter After Tragic Death

Former heavyweight boxing champion Wladimir Klitschko, who had an on-off again relationship for nearly a decade with Hayden Panettiere, is mourning the death of the actress and mother of his daughter in a widely shared social media tribute.Ms. Panettiere was found unresponsive on Sunday at Judson Mill Lofts in Greenville, South Carolina where emergency responders answered a 911 call referencing a possible overdose and cardiac arrest. Resuscitation efforts by emergency medical personnel were unsuccessful. The actress, best known for roles in Heroes and Nashville, was 36.Mr. Klitschko and Ms. Panettiere were engaged in 2013. Their daughter, Kaya, was born in 2014 and lives in Europe with the Ukrainian boxer. In a poignant statement posted to social media on Tuesday, Mr. Klitschko reflected on their shared history and expressed heartbreak for the loss.“Our family is going through a time of profound shock and grief,” Mr. Klitschko said in his post. “The announcement of Hayden’s tragic death saddens me deeply. She left this world far too soon.”Mr. Klitschko and Ms. Panettiere were a power couple during his reign as the heavyweight champion. Mr. Klitschko held some version of boxing’s premier title from 2000 to 2015 and is considered among the greatest boxers of all-time. Ms. Panettiere appeared at some of his fights. After a brief split in 2011, they were briefly engaged before separating again after the birth of their daughter. Mr. Klitschko was granted full custody in 2018, while Ms. Panettiere battled an addiction to opiates and alcohol.“He didn’t want to be around me,” Ms. Panettiere told People magazine. “I didn’t want to be around me. But with the opiates and alcohol, I was doing anything to make me feel happy for a moment. Then I’d feel worse than I did before. I was in a cycle of self-destruction.”In her candid memoir “This Is Me: A Reckoning,” released months before her shock passing, Ms. Panettiere also detailed years of addiction, abuse and the fractured relationship with her mother, Lesley Vogel. She also disclosed that she was “groomed” to be a “little soldier” throughout her early career, which began in front of the cameras as a baby.The memoir also explores the grief she felt following the death of her younger brother and “best friend,” Jansen Panettiere, whom she said was taking drugs, including crack and heroin, before he died of aortic valve complications from an enlarged heart at age 28.In his post, Mr. Klitschko said despite her demons, Ms. Panettiere remained “an important part of my life,” and their daughter’s. “She built an incredible career through immense talent, while also facing the darker sides of a very demanding industry,” Mr. Klitschko wrote. “Nothing will erase the times we shared or the place she had in our lives. 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.” Mr. Klitschko concluded his tribute by calling for privacy as both families navigate the loss. “I ask everyone to please respect our family’s feelings and privacy during this incredibly difficult time,” he said. “For now, this is all I wish to say. Thank you to everyone who is supporting my family and expressing their sincere condolences. Rest easy, Hayden. May you find eternal peace.”

Boxing Champion Vows to Honor Hayden Panettiere’s Legacy for Their Daughter After Tragic Death

Boxing Champion Vows to Honor Hayden Panettiere’s Legacy for Their Daughter After Tragic Death

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