{"id":6785,"date":"2026-08-17T16:38:01","date_gmt":"2026-08-17T16:38:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=6785"},"modified":"2026-08-17T16:38:01","modified_gmt":"2026-08-17T16:38:01","slug":"hayden-panettiere-was-clearly-still-struggling-3-months-before-tragic-death-gayle-king","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=6785","title":{"rendered":"Hayden Panettiere was ‘clearly still struggling’ 3 months before tragic death: Gayle King"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Gayle King believed Hayden Panettiere was \u201cstruggling\u201d during their May interview, three months before the late actress\u2019 tragic passing.<\/p>\n

Read more Exclusive | Hayden Panettiere\u2019s neighbor recalls \u2018shocking\u2019 moments after actress found dead in luxury apartment complex<\/a><\/p>\n

The \u201cCBS Mornings\u201d co-host called Panettiere\u2019s death at 36 \u201cso, so sad\u201d and \u201cheartbreaking\u201d during Monday\u2019s show.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was hard when she was here that day,\u201d King, 71, recalled of chatting with the \u201cNashville\u201d alum about her \u201cThis Is Me: A Reckoning\u201d memoir.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen she was here in the studio that day, and I was talking to her off-camera, she was saying she felt that she was in a good place,\u201d the journalist noted.<\/p>\n

However, King added, \u201cShe was still, clearly still struggling. To wake up to hear this news was really tough. She was so good. She would\u2019ve turned 37 on Friday.\u201d<\/p>\n

Panettiere died Sunday in a luxury apartment complex in South Carolina, with 911 dispatch audio revealing she suffered \u201ccardiac arrest\u201d from a suspected \u201coverdose.\u201d<\/p>\n

The \u201cHeroes\u201d alum previously struggled with alcohol and opioid addiction, which she wrote about in her tell-all, as well as her abusive romance with Brian Hickerson, her younger brother\u2019s 2023 death and more personal trials.<\/p>\n

While discussing the book with King earlier this year, Panettiere insisted she was \u201cbetter\u201d and \u201chealthier than [she\u2019d] been in a long time.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Golden Globe nominee identified as the \u201crawest version\u201d of herself at the time, noting that she was \u201cstill working on [her]self all the time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Hayden Panettiere\u2019s final interview takes on haunting meaning after tragic death<\/a><\/p>\n

She also opened up about her connection to 11-year-old daughter Kaya, whom she welcomed in 2014 with then-fianc\u00e9 Wladimir Klitschko \u2014 and relinquished custody of four years later.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m so blessed to have a great relationship with her. I fly over there as much as I can,\u201d Panettiere said of the Ukraine-based preteen. <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m on FaceTime with her all the time. She\u2019s now 11 years old and she\u2019s calling Mommy more and more.\u201d<\/p>\n

In 2022, she explained on \u201cRed Table Talk\u201d that signing over custody in 2018 was the \u201chardest\u201d but \u201cbest\u201d choice for her child.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

\u201c[I needed] to make sure she was OK, take care of myself and make sure I could be a good mom to her,\u201d Panettiere explained. \u201cAnd sometimes that means letting go.\u201d<\/p>\n

During one of her final interviews in May, the former child star teased \u201cexciting\u201d plans for the future, saying she had \u201ca lot more life left to live.\u201d<\/p>\n

Similarly, she shared dreams to direct and write during her last public appearance at a Los Angeles book event.<\/p>\n

Read more Who is Brian Hickerson? Meet Hayden Panettiere\u2019s on-again, off-again boyfriend<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hayden Panettiere was “clearly still struggling” before her tragic death at 36, according to Gayle King, who interviewed the late actress in May.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6784,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6785","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-celebrity-news"],"yoast_head":"\nHayden Panettiere was 'clearly still struggling' 3 months before tragic death: Gayle King - Metro Transit Review<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=6785\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Hayden Panettiere was 'clearly still struggling' 3 months before tragic death: Gayle King - 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