I was shocked to hear of the death of Hayden Panettiere over the weekend. Even more shocking was I had watched Scream 4 earlier that day. She had played Kirby Reed in that movie as well as the sixth one.
It was a long rumored fan theory that Kirby survived her injuries at the end of the fourth movie and returns in the sixth movie as an FBI agent. Kirby was the preppy kid who loved horror movies. She was a sign of changing perceptions that horror and thrillers could be enjoyed by everyone not the film geeks like Randy Meeks (Jamie Kennedy).
Panettiere also had a lead role on the show Nashville where she played singer Juliette Barnes. It was also the first acting credit of Kaileigh Bullard, who had grown up in nearby Wagoner, Okla. I had covered several stories on Bullard, now married as Kaileigh Maynes, as she played an acoustic guitar player for Juliette in several episodes.
Kaileigh always talked highly and nicely of Hayden. Details of Panettiere’s death are still under investigation. But it’s rumor she battled substance abuse and alcoholism as well as postpartum depression. Along with Nashville, she appeared on Guilding Light, Ally McBeal and Heroes which brought her more fame.
She had played Sheryl Yoast, daughter of Coach Bill Yoast (Will Patton), in Remember the Titans which was based on a true story of an integrated football team. The movie was filmed in the Atlanta area and I went to school with one of the main extras who played a football player. I also worked in college with one of the football player doubles.
In real life, Bill Yoast had four daughters but the movie focused solely on Sheryl, who had passed from a heart condition in 1996 at 34. The other daughters (Bonnie, Angela and Deidre) agreed with the movie’s production to only feature Sheryl as a tribute to her memory.
Panettiere was 36 five days shy of her 37th birthday when she died.
Zane Says 