Hayden Panettiere's Net Worth at Time of Her Death Revealed

Hayden Panettiere had a multimillion-dollar net worth at the time of her death.

The former child star entered the entertainment industry before her first birthday and went on to remain in the industry for nearly her entire life. She was pronounced dead on August 16 after she was found in cardiac arrest at an apartment in Greenville, S.C., while her cause and manner of death remain "pending further investigation and the completion of additional studies."

Scroll down for a closer look at Panettiere's net worth and how she made her money before her death.

According to Celebrity Net Worth, Panettiere had an estimated net worth of $6 million at the time of her death, with much of her fortune stemming from decades of work in commercials, television and film.

Born on August 21, 1989, in Palisades, N.Y., Panettiere began working before she even turned one year old. She told CBS News that her mom, Lesley Vogel, began taking her into audition rooms when she was only 8 months old.

"It went from there and progressed into 50 commercials by the time I was five... It just never stopped," she shared.

After getting her start in commercials, Panettiere accumulated wealth through roles on soap operas such as One Life to Live and Guiding Light, followed by appearances in Unhappily Ever After, Raising Helen, Ice Princess, Bring It On: All or Nothing, Malcolm in the Middle and Remember the Titans.

Her career further blossomed when she played Claire Bennet in Heroes, Juliette Barnes in Nashville and Kirby Reed in the Scream franchise.

Celebrity Net Worth estimates that Panettiere earned $75,000 per episode of Nashville, potentially bringing her total earnings from the series to nearly $10 million.

In addition to acting, Panettiere also launched a career as a recording artist.

Panettiere grew up in a four-bedroom home in Palisades, N.Y., which her parents bought in 1998. The family sold the property for $1.22 million in 2021, and it was relisted for $3.6 million in June, according to Realtor.com.

In addition to her childhood home, Panettiere bought a Hollywood Hills home — which has since been demolished — for $2.635 million in 2008 and sold it for $3.075 million in 2014. She later purchased a newly built Nashville property in 2012 while starring on Nashville but sold it for $1.65 million in 2018.

Following Panettiere's death, questions about who could inherit her estate emerged.

For context, the actress is survived by her daughter, Kaya Evdokia Klitschko, and parents, Skip Panettiere and Lesley. Her younger brother, Jansen Panettiere, died in February 2023 at the age of 28.

While it remains unclear whether Hayden had a will or trust in place, California-based attorneys Marc M. Stern, Jordan Matthews and Jonathan Forster explained what could happen to her assets.

"If she has a trust, then it would be paid to the trust estate, and the trust would distribute to the beneficiaries," Jonathan told People. "If she died with a will, it would go through the California probate process and it would go to the people named in her will. And if she died without a will, it would go in accordance with the California laws of intestacy, and her daughter would receive everything."

Since Kaya is still a minor, she would not immediately control the inheritance. Marc said the estate would need to be placed in "some sort of protective vehicle" until she turns 18, while Jonathan added that a court-supervised guardianship could be established if Hayden had not already created a trust for her daughter.

Kaya's father, Wladimir Klitschko, has custody of their daughter, but that would not automatically entitle him to inherit Hayden's estate.

As one legal expert told People, Hayden's parents also "likely won't be entitled to the proceeds of the estate" because she died with a minor child, though they could petition the court to serve as guardians of the estate.

"That seems unlikely, since the father has sole custody of Kaya, but it is possible," Jordan pointed out.

Kaya's residence in Europe could also complicate things, as Hayden's probate case would likely be handled in California if she died without a will because she was a resident of the state.

"She died as a California resident. The estate is here in California," Jonathan told People. "So it would go through the California probate system, and then the guardianship would be here in California."