Connie Britton has ‘no words’ after Hayden Panettiere’s death: ‘Sleep easy now’

Derek LawrenceMon, August 17, 2026 at 7:39 PM UTC

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Connie Britton and Hayden Panettiere on ‘Nashville’Credit: Chris Hollo/Disney General Entertainment Content via GettyKey Points -

Connie Britton reacted to the death of fellow Nashville alum Hayden Panettiere.

Panettiere died on Sunday at the age of 36.

Britton and Panettiere starred together on the musical drama for five seasons.

Connie Britton is remembering her late Nashville costar Hayden Panettiere.

After Panettiere died on Sunday at the age of 36, Britton reacted on social media to the loss.

“This was Hayden. Bursting with brilliance, shining so bright,” Britton wrote alongside a series of photos, mostly from the set of Nashville. “I have no words for this sad song. Just heartbreak. I love you girl. Sleep easy now. 💔”

For five seasons, Britton and Panettiere co-headlined Nashville, the musical drama that chronicled the careers of a pair of country singers: Britton’s Rayna Jaymes, a legend whose star is starting to fade, and Panettiere’s Juliette Barnes, a former teen sensation who is challenging Rayna’s reign at the top of the charts.

Hayden Panettiere and Connie Britton at PaleyFest on March 9, 2013Credit: Amanda Edwards/WireImage

Before launching Nashville, Britton and Panettiere were both coming off of successful long-running series — Britton’s Friday Night Lights and Panettiere’s Heroes. Nashville was initially viewed as a Britton vehicle, until a decision was quickly made to elevate Panettiere and focus the show on the Rayna and Juliette rivalry, a decision that Panettiere said made her “deeply uncomfortable.”

“Unfortunately, after the pilot, it was clear that my billing had gone way up,” she wrote in her memoir, which was released earlier this year. “I went from maybe number five in terms of importance to nipping at Connie’s heels. I was deeply uncomfortable with this development ... I was twenty-three years old, and Connie was in her forties with three Emmy nominations under her belt. This should have been her time to shine, and while it was in many respects, I was terrified of making Connie worry that I—not my character—was trying to compete with her.”

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Panettiere went on to explain how she took any chance she could early on to prove to Britton that she wasn’t trying to undermine her position.

“We were directed to saunter toward the mic stand and—at the same time—reach to grab it. This would insinuate our characters’ rivalry,” Panettiere recalled of a promo shoot. “I always made sure to grab the mic under Connie’s hand, showing her I came in peace and with respect.”

She added, “I don’t know if she noticed, but I did; I was not going to step on the toes of Rayna Jaymes or Connie Britton.”

An investigation into Panettiere’s death is currently underway. According to a 911 call obtained by Entertainment Weekly’s sister site PEOPLE, officials spoke about an apparent “overdose” and “cardiac arrest” while treating Panettiere. EW has reached out to Panettiere’s rep, who told PEOPLE regarding the 911 call details: “I don’t have any more information at this time, but it’s looking as though that is the case.”

Viola Davis, Bethany Joy Lenz, and Panettiere’s Scream VI costar Melissa Barrera are among those to also pay tribute to the late actress.

on Entertainment Weekly

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