WBA mourns Hayden Panettiere and sends condolences to Klitschko

The World Boxing Association has expressed its condolences following the death of American actress Hayden Panettiere at the age of 36. Panettiere died on Sunday, August 16, in South Carolina. The organisation said its President Gilberto Jesús Mendoza, Executive Committee and wider WBA family were extending their sympathy to her loved ones.

The WBA also offered its support to Wladimir Klitschko, Panettiere’s former fiancé and the former undisputed heavyweight champion, and to their 11-year-old daughter, Kaya Evdokia Klitschko. Condolences were also sent to Panettiere’s parents, friends and other family members as they mourn her death.

Klitschko said his family was experiencing “profound shock and grief” after Panettiere’s passing. In a statement, he described her as an important part of his life and the mother of their daughter, despite the couple no longer being together.

“Our family is going through a time of profound shock and grief. The announcement of Hayden’s tragic death saddens me deeply. She left this world far too soon,” Klitschko said. “Hayden was, although no longer my partner, an important part of my life and the mother of our daughter, Kaya.”

Emergency services responded to a home in Greenville, South Carolina, where Panettiere was pronounced dead. Preliminary findings indicated no signs of foul play, but no official cause of death had been announced. The circumstances surrounding her death therefore remained under review as her family dealt with the immediate loss.

Panettiere and Klitschko began their relationship in 2009 and became engaged in 2013. Their daughter, Kaya, was born in December 2014. The couple separated in 2018, after which Kaya lived primarily with her father. Panettiere remained in contact with her daughter and later spoke publicly about the pain of that arrangement.

Klitschko said he would protect Kaya’s memory of her mother. “To our daughter Kaya, I will always speak of her mother with respect and make sure she remembers the person she was,” he said. He also recognised Panettiere’s career and the pressures she faced in the entertainment industry, saying that nothing would erase the times they shared or her place in their lives.

Panettiere became internationally known through leading roles in Heroes, Nashville and the Scream franchise. Her connection with boxing was visible during Klitschko’s dominant heavyweight championship reign under the WBA and the other major sanctioning bodies, when she was a familiar presence at ringside for many of his biggest title defences. The WBA said she earned the respect and affection of the worldwide boxing community. Klitschko asked for privacy for his family while they grieve and offered condolences to Panettiere’s parents, friends and fans.