Actress Hayden Panettiere has died aged 36.
The US actress was best known for roles in superhero drama Heroes and in the Scream franchise.
Her family revealed her death in a statement to ABC News.
“It is with profound sadness that we share the tragic passing of our beloved Hayden,” her father, Skip Panettiere said.
“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 on screen.”
Her father has asked that the privacy of their family is respected as it “takes time to process this unimaginable loss”.
A cause of death was not immediately known.
Ms Panettiere is best known on TV for her role as superpowered cheerleader Claire Bennet on hit series “Heroes”.
“Save the cheerleader, save the world,” was the tagline of the show and she appeared in more episodes of the NBC show than any other character.
In film, she appeared in the Scream franchise as Kirby Reed, first appearing in Scream 4 and later returning in Scream VI.
Beginning as a child star, she first appeared in a commercial at just 11 months old.
She would also become the fifth-youngest Grammy nominee after her voice role in Pixar’s A Bug Life at age nine.