Hayden Panettiere’s tragic final post shows actress smiling with close pal before sudden death aged 36
THE tragic last post of Hayden Panettiere paid tribute to “good times and good friends” just weeks before she passed away aged 36.
The Heroes and Nashville actress died on Sunday, her father said this morning.
Hayden’s final Instagram post was made on July 27, only 21 days ago, as she smiled alongside photographer pal Randall Slavin.
The carefree and happy snap shows the pair smiling at each other as Panettiere winks playfully at the camera.
In a caption accompanying the snap, which appears to be from a busy event, the Scream star wrote: “Good times and good friends.”
The post has 40,000 likes from Hayden’s one million followers.
Responding to his friend’s death, Slavin, 56, shared the photo on his own Instagram page.
He wrote alongside the black-and-white snap: “Peace be with you, H”.
Other fans flocked to her social media pages to leave their own tributes.
One said: “Rip to the most beautiful soul ever.”
Another wrote: “This just brought me intense sadness.
“I’ve followed your work since I was a little girl, and have been following you for years because you seem like such a wonderful person who deserves so much better in life.”
Sources told TMZ that the mother-of-one had complained of back pain in the months before her death on Sunday.
Hayden’s father, Skip, confirmed the tragic news.
In a statement, he said: “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 onscreen.”
He asked for privacy “as our family takes time to process this unimaginable loss”.
The star’s family did not give a cause or location of death, however TMZ reported both Panettiere and boyfriend Brian Hickerson had flown out of Los Angeles on Saturday.
The website also reported that police responded to an “incident” and that an investigation is ongoing.