It's been less than a week since the death of actress Hayden Panettiere, and touching tributes have continued to pour in, including today on what would have been her 37th birthday.
One of the most touching came from Panettiere's on-screen father in Heroes, Jack Coleman, who explored all the stages of grief in one Instagram post, paired with lovely photographs on and off set.
He also called out paparazzi "hunting" her and especially pursuing inappropriate content of her in her younger, most susceptible years.
Jack Coleman wrote:
"I’m heartbroken. I couldn’t begin to put my thoughts into words until now, and they will be inadequate."
"I’ve loved Hayden since day one of the pilot of 'Heroes,' 20 years ago, when she introduced herself by shouting, 'Daddy' and throwing her arms around me. From that day on, she called me 'Daddio.' She was 'Haydini,' because she was a magician."
"She was a prodigious talent. During an early scene, a tear rolled down her cheek on the same line, take after take."
"I marveled at her technique. 'It’s not technique,' she corrected me. 'I’m not a trained seal. I feel it, and the tears just happen to come at that moment.' She was 16."
"By 17, she was #1 on IMDB Pro. She was routinely asked obnoxious questions, mostly some version of, 'When are you going to go off the rails?' Today, we’d recognize those questions for the misogynistic provocations they were."
"She was hunted. Everywhere she went, there were photographers with 300-millimeter lenses, the kind that can make even the most innocent activity look sinister."
"Once, when she came to our house, paparazzi hid in the bushes behind our yard and drove onto neighbors’ lawns. They were predatory. No one, especially a teenager, should be targeted that way."
"She brought joy to the set and a photographic memory. Everyone was in awe of her ability to bring it every take. A tiny colossus who loved to laugh. We laughed a lot."
"That shining face, that megawatt smile, that wasn’t just for the camera. That was her. She glowed."
"Today I’m filled with sorrow and regret. And anger. But that’s for another time."
"Right now, I want to remember an extraordinary young woman who was blessed and cursed. She was vulnerable. She felt everything. It made her a remarkable actor and susceptible to the heartache and thousand natural shocks that flesh is heir to."
"I love you, Hayden. I’ll miss you. I’m so sorry you suffered."
"I’ll remember how happy you were on set and on the European press tour; how you championed Tess when she was being bullied; your commitment to animal welfare and the courage to put yourself in harm’s way to protect them. I only wish you had been given that same protection."
"Good night, sweet girl. And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest."
You can see the full post here:
Coleman's tribute was also shared on X, where viewers applauded the kind and thorough eulogy.
This was such a heartfelt and well-deserved tribute for someone gone too soon.
Watching Heroes and The Ice Princess will never feel quite the same.
@acidtrain_la; @tadams59x/Threads