Hayden Panettiere's Nashville mom says star's 'inner demons were too much to bear' in poignant tribute after death at 36

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Hayden Panettiere’s Nashville mom Sylvia Jefferies has broken her silence on the shock death of the actress aged just 36 on Sunday.

Panettiere, who would have turned 37 on August 21, died in Greenville, South Carolina. Narcan was found in the apartment where she died, it was reported, after the Heroes actress suffered an apparent overdose.

On Monday, Greenville County Sheriff's Office said that Panettiere's autopsy had been completed and that no signs of trauma were found on the star's body.

Jefferies, 57, who had a recurring role as Jolene Barnes, the mom of Panettiere's singer character Juliette Barnes, posted a poignant tribute, in which she acknowledged the late star's 'inner demons.'

Alongside photos of the pair on set and friendly texts in which Panettiere addressed her as 'mama', she wrote, 'This hits deep. 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. 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.

Hayden Panettiere’s Nashville mom Sylvia Jefferies has broken her silence on the shock death of the actress aged just 36 on Sunday - pictured on set with Paul McCrane

'She had an incredibly bright future ahead of her, although her inner demons were at times too much to bear.

'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.

Jefferies said the pair reconnected after she read Panettiere's memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning, saying, they 'had plans to see each other when she 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.

'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.'

On Monday, Greenville County Sheriff's Office said that Panettiere's autopsy had been completed and that no signs of trauma were found on the star's body.

Further investigations will now take place to establish her cause of death, with chief deputy coroner Shelton England telling the Daily Mail that it was too early to discuss the drug overdose theory.

It is still unclear if the Narcan found at the apartment where she died had been used to try and revive Panettiere, although 911 audio obtained earlier on Monday revealed that the actress had gone into cardiac arrest following a suspected overdose.

Jefferies, 57, who had a recurring role as Jolene Barnes, the mom of Panettiere's singer character Juliette Barnes, posted a poignant tribute, in which she acknowledged the late star's 'inner demons'

Jefferies said the pair reconnected after she read Panettiere's memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning, saying, they 'had plans to see each other when she was passing through again

Jefferies said, 'She had an incredibly bright future ahead of her, although her inner demons were at times too much to bear'

The actress had a history of suffering from drug addiction, beginning when she was just 15 years old. At the time, she claimed she started taking 'happy pills' in an effort to make her seem more 'peppy' during interviews.

Her addiction worsened while she was battling postpartum depression following the birth of her daughter Kaya in 2014.

But Panettiere has been sober in recent years, she said in a 2022 interview, noting that 'it's an everyday battle.'

'It's an everyday choice, and I'm checking in with myself all the time,' Panettiere told People at the time. 'But I'm just so grateful to be part of this world again, and I will never take it for granted again.'

Panettiere has also told how she nearly died during childbirth, and later gave full custody of Kaya to her former fiancé, Ukrainian boxer Wladimir Klitschko.

Kaya, now 11, lives in Europe with her father.

Speaking of the decision, Panettiere said she 'desperately' needed help at the time and insisted that Kaya does not feel 'abandoned' while appearing in a recent episode of the On Purpose with Jay Shetty podcast.

'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,' the actress said.

'I was struggling with mental health and anxiety and postpartum and having to act my way through it, and just feeling like I completely lost myself,' she added.

The actress shared how she struggled with the decision to give Klitschko full custody.

'It wasn't a decision I made lightly, nor was it a decision I even wanted to make,' she said.

'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.'

After giving birth to her daughter in 2014, Panettiere recalled hemorrhaging before she underwent seven blood transfusions and surgery to repair vessels that had begun to fail.

She said: '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.'

However, days later, she recalled feeling 'nothing' when looking at her daughter and developed postnatal depression. The actress then turned to drinking.

She said: 'I turned to wine, which ultimately ended up leading to an alcohol dependency. It was how I would get through each day.'

Although she underwent treatment, Panettiere felt the 'root cause' of her drinking, the 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.

Panettiere is pictured as Juliette Barnes on the ABC show Nashville

Panettiere is remembered for her roles as Claire Bennet on the hit NBC series Heroes

Six years on from giving up custody, Panettiere spoke about her current relationship with her daughter.

She said: 'I love my daughter, and I'm so proud of the young woman she is becoming. I talk to her all the time, and I feel so connected to her. She's like a mini-me.'

The actress went on to say she had 'been able to put her first no matter how I've felt or what I've experienced' and that she hoped that one day Kaya would 'understand my story and why I wasn't able to be with her all the time.'

She then called herself 'resilient' and a 'work in progress,' but that she was 'doing the work… and doing my best.'

In May, Panettiere released her memoir titled This Is Me: A Reckoning, in which she also detailed being separated from her only child.

Panettiere's tragic death at 36 over the weekend was announced on Sunday night. She is pictured here at a gala in Hollywood in 2022

'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 is the greatest gift of my life, with all the best parts of her father and me.'