Hayden Panettiere Returned to Her N.Y. Hometown for ‘Rest’ After ‘a Few Hard Years’ Before Her Sudden Death

The actress, who died suddenly on Aug. 16 at age 36, previously reflected on being able to sit with her late brother Jansen’s “spirit” in “every room of her Dad’s house” back home

Hayden Panettiere reflected on the healing effects of returning to her hometown and reconnecting with her late brother’s “spirit” before her sudden death.

The Ice Princess star, who died on Sunday, Aug. 16, at age 36, got candid about revisiting the place where she grew up in her memoir This Is Me: A Reckoning, released in May. During her time back home, the actress wrote that she was able to fully “rest” and connect with the memory of her late brother Jansen Panettiere following his death at age 28 in February 2023.

“I’ve come back to my hometown in Rockland County, just north of New York City, to live with my dad and stepmom for a few months,” Hayden wrote in the prologue, dated spring 2025. “I didn’t expect to stay as long as I have, but after a few hard years, I needed to give my mind, body, and soul some rest.”

Hayden Panettiere holding a copy of her memoir in May 2026.Janet Mayer/Shutterstock

She added that “after nearly twenty years living elsewhere,” she forgot how therapeutic the place where she grew up could be.

“I’ve settled into that relaxation, but I’ve also felt awake, alive, and hungry to challenge myself again,” she noted, listing activities like hiking, reading, golfing with her dad and walking past her childhood home that she enjoyed there.

Hayden continued, “Dorothy was right: there is no place like home, and as winter turns to spring, I’m settling into the comfort I’m finding here.”

While the setting brought her a sense of peace, it also made her “shed tears” as it served as a reminder of her brother.

“Jansen excelled at everything he put his mind to, but he was a uniquely gifted artist, and Dad’s hung his paintings on almost every wall. These reminders of my brother are so vibrant and present that I feel like he might walk into the room at any minute, talking a little too fast and a lot too loud, flashing a shit-eating, ear-to-ear grin after saying something to annoy me,” the star wrote.

Hayden added that she was “sitting with my brother’s spirit in every room of Dad’s house” during her visit, prompting her to come to grips with the loss and trauma she’s experienced throughout her life, which her memoir explores.

Hayden Panettiere and Jansen Panettiere at a screening of “Sharkwater Extinction” on January 31, 2019 in Hollywood, California.Amanda Edwards/Getty

Hayden was found unresponsive in Greenville, S.C., on Sunday. That night, a representative for the Nashville alum confirmed the news of her death, sharing a statement with PEOPLE on behalf of her father, Alan Panettiere.

“It is with profound sadness that we share the tragic passing of our beloved Hayden,” the statement read. “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 onscreen.”

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The Greenville County Coroner’s Office later announced an autopsy had been completed, and shared that “no signs of trauma contributed to the death.”

“The cause and manner of death remain pending further investigation and the completion of additional studies. This investigation remains active and ongoing. No further details are available for release at this time,” read the statement by coroner Mike Ellis.