Hilary Duff remembers ‘hardworking’ Hayden Panettiere, says they ‘lost touch’ over the years

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Tributes have continued to pour in from celebrities across the entertainment industry for late actress Hayden Panettiere, who died on Sunday, August 16, at the age of 36.

Just two days after the ‘Nashville’ actress died, Hilary Duff expressed her grief in a social media post. The 38-year-old actress also reflected on her friendship with Panettiere in her tribute.

Hilary Duff remembers Hayden Panettiere friendship

“Sweet Hayden. Really tough hearing this news. We lost touch through the years but I will always remember you as so hardworking and effervescent, with that big, gorgeous smile,” Duff began.

The ‘Lizzie McGuire’ star further revealed how she and Panettiere used to stay up “late, chatting and gossiping, and connecting because we were part of such a small sliver of people who actually understood the strange lot in life we were navigating.. so young, with no real idea how to make sense of any of it.”

“I deeply wish this wasn’t the end for you. Sending a heart full of love to your family, the many people you impacted and everyone who loved you. Rest easy,” Duff ended her post.

Hilary Duff and Hayden Panettiere’s early friendship

Duff and Panettiere both began their careers as child stars. Though they never shared the screen, they were still close friends in their early years.

However, their friendship appeared to take a back seat later as they navigated their personal lives and relationships. The ‘What Dreams Are Made Of’ hitmaker married hockey player Mike Comrie in 2010 and became a mother in 2012.

Panettiere never married but had her daughter, Kaya, with fiancé Wladimir Klitschko in 2014.

Hayden Panettiere’s co-star recalls her loneliness before death

Meanwhile, this comes as the ‘Heroes’ actress’ last co-star, Justin Chatwin, has made some startling revelations about her.

Panettiere and Chatwin worked together in the 2026 film ‘Sleepwalker’, which was filmed in 2025. According to Chatwin, she “seemed different when I met her this time than when I met her in the early years.”

“I’ve been sober for 15 years, so I know this world of addiction, and Hollywood, it takes, and it takes from youth,” he stated, before adding that he “really loved working with her, but I also know that she was really lonely.”

‘Sleepwalker’ director Brandon Auman also remembered her, saying, “I was struck by how complex and deeply introspective she was. She lived a dozen lives in one short beautiful life. I’ll miss her forever.”