NEWSHayden Panettiere Was 'Clearly Still Struggling' Despite Claiming She Was in a 'Good Place' 3 Months Before Her Death, Says Gayle King
Hayden Panettiere said she was in a 'good place' during a May interview.
Aug. 17 2026, Updated 3:20 p.m. ET
Gayle King reflected on a behind-the-scenes conversation with Hayden Panettiere just three months before the latter's sudden death.
"I was talking to her off-camera. She was saying she felt that she was in a good place," King, 71, shared during the Monday, August 17, broadcast of CBS Mornings.
Hayden Panettiere appeared on 'CBS Mornings' three months before her death.
Hayden Panettiere Felt 'Good' Prior to Memoir's Release
Hayden Panettiere's death was confirmed by her father on August 16.
As OK! previously reported, the Remember the Titans actress' death was confirmed on Sunday, August 16, after the 36-year-old was found unresponsive at an apartment complex in South Carolina.
Panettiere appeared on the daytime talk show on May 18, one day before her memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning, hit shelves. The tell-all book gave fans "an unprecedented glimpse" into the Nashville star's life, including her years-long struggles with addiction and alcoholism.
"It was hard when she was here that day," the anchor admitted of their May interview.
Hayden Panettiere Leaves Behind a Daughter
Hayden Panettiere and her ex-fiancé Wladimir Klitschko welcomed their daughter, Kaya, in December 2014.
"Her daughter meant everything to her and giving up her daughter, [giving] custody to her dad was one of the hardest things, but she thought that what was best for her daughter," King continued. "She was clearly still struggling and to wake up to this news was really tough. She was so good. She would’ve turned 37 on Friday."
Panettiere was a mother to her 11-year-old daughter, Kaya, whom she shared with ex-fiancé Wladimir Klitschko.
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- What Hayden Panettiere Said About Her Mental Health Before Her Death at 36
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Hayden Panettiere Opened Up About Depression in Tell-All Book
Hayden Panettiere said she was doing 'better' in May after struggling with postpartum depression.
During the May CBS Mornings interview, Panettiere said she was "better and healthier" following years of postpartum depression after welcoming her daughter in December 2014.
"There I am with this beautiful, healthy, beautiful baby girl and this very fortunate life ... and I could not for the life of me be happy," she told King. "I was so depressed. I just couldn't find my way out."
Hayden Panettiere’s Family Asks for Privacy Amid 'Unimaginable Loss'
Hayden Panettiere would've celebrated her 37th birthday on August 21.
Panettiere’s death was confirmed late Sunday evening by her father, Alan “Skip” Panettiere.
"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 expressed in a public statement statement. "We ask for privacy as our family takes time to process this unimaginable loss."
Hayden reportedly traveled from Los Angeles, Calif., to South Carolina with her on-again, off-again partner, Brian Hickerson, on August 15, per TMZ.
An unnamed friend who found the star at the time called 911, and she was pronounced dead after an alleged "overdose" and "cardiac arrest" on August 16.
