Sylvia Jefferies, who played Hayden Panettiere's mother on the television series Nashville, has paid tribute to the actress following her death at the age of 36.
Panettiere died on Sunday in Greenville, South Carolina. She would have turned 37 on Friday.
The Greenville County Sheriff's Office said on Monday that an autopsy had been completed and no signs of trauma were found on her body. The actress's former partner Brian Hickerson and his brother, Zach, were in the apartment when she died, according to a police report released on Tuesday.
Chief deputy coroner Shelton England told the Daily Mail it was too early to discuss a drug overdose theory. The medication Narcan was found in the apartment following an apparent overdose, though it remains unclear if it was used to try to revive her. Audio of a 911 call obtained on Monday revealed the actress had gone into cardiac arrest after a suspected overdose.
'A downright tornado'
Jefferies, 57, had a recurring role as Jolene Barnes, the mother of Panettiere's country singer character Juliette Barnes. She posted a tribute alongside photographs of the pair on set and text messages in which Panettiere called her "mama".
"This hits deep," Jefferies wrote. "I've had to take the day to let the idea that Hayden is not with us, wash over me. I shoot straight from the hip."
"At times, Hayden was not easy to be around," she added. "I remember calling her a downright tornado. But she was our tornado. The sun that appears, the light mist that begins, the rain that gets heavier, the swirling of everything around her, and then the gentle tapering rain returns, along with the calm and sun and light in her eyes, and the giggle in her voice."
"She had an incredibly bright future ahead of her, although her inner demons were at times too much to bear," Jefferies said.
"I pause as I reflect on her, looking at photos, remembering scenes, listening to voicemails, and remembering the first time she called me 'Mama' while she shared stories of her youth. We seemed far apart, but we were very close in our hearts. Our birthdays even being one week apart. 20 years (!) and one week apart."
Memoir reconnection
Jefferies said they had reconnected after she read Panettiere's memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning, and they had plans to see each other when Panettiere was passing through again.
"Hopefully surprising Deacon @charlesesten at his show on my birthday in Greenville. I was so proud of her for sharing the real Hayden, something that had to be excruciatingly painful for such a gentle soul," Jefferies wrote.
"Our hearts are shattered, knowing that you are not just a phone call or text away, but we can rest easy knowing that you're at peace, with your brother, dancing in that water with the dolphins for whom you cared so dearly. I love you, sweet girl. Always, in all ways. Love, Mama."
Addiction and mental health
Panettiere, who also starred as Claire Bennet on the NBC series Heroes, had a history of drug addiction. She said she started taking "happy pills" at 15 to appear more "peppy" in interviews.
Her addiction worsened while battling postpartum depression following the birth of her daughter, Kaya, in 2014. After giving birth, she nearly died while hemorrhaging, requiring seven blood transfusions and surgery to repair failing vessels.
"I closed my eyes and just prayed for my daughter to be OK. I truly was ready to go if it was my time. Kaya being safe and healthy was all that mattered," she previously said.
Days later, she said she felt "nothing" when looking at her daughter and developed postnatal depression. She began drinking to cope. "I turned to wine, which ultimately ended up leading to an alcohol dependency," she said. "It was how I would get through each day."
Despite undergoing treatment, Panettiere said the root cause of her depression was not addressed. "I wish more people had known what it was at the time. Maybe I wouldn't have waited so long to get help," she said.
In a 2022 interview with People, she said she had been sober in recent years but called it "an everyday battle."
"It's an everyday choice, and I'm checking in with myself all the time," she said. "But I'm just so grateful to be part of this world again, and I will never take it for granted again."
Custody decision
Panettiere gave full custody of Kaya to her former fiancé, the Ukrainian boxer Wladimir Klitschko. Kaya, now 11, lives in Europe with her father.
Speaking on the On Purpose with Jay Shetty podcast, Panettiere said she was struggling with anxiety and depression and "feeling like I completely lost myself."
"The idea that anybody would think that I would just give away my child and be okay with it is heartbreaking. Couldn't be further from the truth," she said.
"It wasn't a decision I made lightly, nor was it a decision I even wanted to make. I was going through a really challenging time in my life... I knew I needed to be able to put her first so that I could get the help I needed and be the mum she needed me to be."
Speaking six years after giving up custody, Panettiere said she spoke to her daughter constantly and felt connected to her. "I love my daughter, and I'm so proud of the young woman she is becoming," she said. "She's like a mini-me."
In her memoir, published in May, she detailed being separated from her only child.
"Not being under the same roof with her every day has been the most gut-wrenching experience of my life, and it's hard to describe the layers of emotion, including sadness, resentment, and anger, I've felt because of it," she wrote.
"I grieve that I'm not the mother I thought I'd be and definitely not the mother I want to be (trust me, no one should ever have to raise a child on FaceTime), and although I miss Kaya so much my heart aches, I know how blessed I am to be her mom," she added. "She is the greatest gift of my life, with all the best parts of her father and me."
