NEWS'Just Heartbreak': Hayden Panettiere's 'Nashville' Costar Connie Britton Pays Tribute to Actress Following Death Years After On-Set Struggles
Connie Britton said Hayden Panettiere 'shined so bright.'
Aug. 17 2026, Published 6:34 p.m. ET
Connie Britton is mourning Nashville costar Hayden Panettiere one day after the actress passed away at the age of 36.
The Spin City alum, 59, took to her Instagram on Monday, August 17, to pay a somber tribute to Panettiere.
'Sleep Easy Now'
Connie Britton paid a heartbreaking tribute to Hayden Panettiere on social media.
Alongside a gallery of throwback photos of the two women, Britton wrote: "This was Hayden. Bursting with brilliance, shining so bright."
"I have no words for this sad song. Just heartbreak. I love you girl. Sleep easy now. 💔," she concluded her sad caption.
Panettiere and Britton starred on Nashville together for five seasons from 2012 until 2017, with the Friday Night Lights actress leaving the show ahead of the sixth and final season.
Britton and the Heroes star portrayed rival country music singers on the ABC musical drama.
Hayden Panettiere Previously Called Filming the Show 'Traumatizing'
Hayden Panettiere died at the age of 36 on Sunday, August 16.
Panettiere opened up in an interview with The Times earlier this year about how she felt unsupported and isolated on set of the show.
“It’s just shocking to me how little empathy people had,” she said of Nashville. “There were plenty of people who made the choice to not protect me.”
In 2024, the Remember the Titans star noted that filming the series was “very traumatizing because I felt like I was acting out my own life.”
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Hayden Panettiere previously claimed 'Nashville' writers used her real life for her character's storylines.
She explained to The Messenger at the time the writers often took anecdotes pulled from her real life while generating her character Juliette Barnes' storylines, which was emotionally harrowing for her.
“Straight from the beginning, it was like, I’m dating a football player, [and then] Juliette dates a football player,” Panettiere said. “And then they turned her into an alcoholic."
"Then they turned to her leaving her daughter and going to this crazy [place] in Europe, and it was very obvious. They weren’t doing their homework. They weren’t creating new storylines. They were just looking at my life and going, ‘Oh, let’s just take what she’s going through and put our little spin on it.’ And then, ta-da! It’s done and done," she continued.
Hayden Panettiere Died on August 16 at the Age of 36
'There were plenty of people who made the choice to not protect me,' Hayden Panettiere said of her time on 'Nashville' earlier this year.
In 2018, Panettiere handed over custody of her daughter, Kaya, 11, to her ex-partner Wladimir Klitschko.
She also struggled with alcoholism, drug issues and postpartum depression throughout her life.
The Golden Globe-nominated starlet passed away on Sunday, August 16, after she was found unresponsive at a South Carolina residence. 911 dispatch audio revealed she was in "cardiac arrest" and suffered a suspected "overdose."
