Boxing champ shares 'profound shock and grief' over former fiancee Hayden Panettiere's death

Actor Hayden Panettiere's ex-fiance, former heavyweight boxing champion Wladimir Klitschko, has issued a statement over her passing, saying his family is "going through a time of profound shock and grief".

In an Instagram post on Tuesday (August 18), Klitschko, who shares a daughter with Panettiere, said he was deeply saddened by "the announcement of of Hayden's tragic death", adding that although no longer his partner, Panettiere was "an important part of my life".

"She built an incredible career through immense talent, while also facing the darker sides of a very demanding industry. Nothing will erase the times we shared or the place she had in our lives," Klitschko wrote.

"To our daughter Kaya, I will always speak of her mother with respect and make sure she remembers the person she was," he added.

Panettiere , known for playing a cheerleader with superpowers and a country music star on the television shows "Heroes" and "Nashville" respectively, died, aged 36, her family said in a statement issued by her publicist on Sunday (August 16).

The two-time Golden Globe nominee was found unresponsive at an apartment complex in Greenville, South Carolina, and pronounced dead at the scene, the city's police department said in a statement.

Her death was being investigated, but there were no signs of foul play, the police said. An excerpt of a 911 call showed medics confirming to a dispatcher they were responding to an "overdose" at the address and trying to resuscitate an unresponsive woman.

A former child actor, Panettiere gained recognition voicing Dot, the young princess ant in Pixar's 1998 animated hit "A Bug's Life." Her work on the film's read-along album earned a Grammy nomination for Best Spoken Word Album for Children.

She shot to fame playing a high school cheerleader with superpowers, Claire Bennet, on NBC's serialized hit "Heroes," which debuted in 2006. She also appeared in the 2000 football drama "Remember the Titans," starring Denzel Washington.

Panettiere earned two Golden Globe nominations, in 2013 and 2014, for Best Supporting Actress in a Television Series, Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television for her role as Juliette Barnes in the musical drama "Nashville."

She was also part of the satirical horror "Scream" movie franchise.

Production: Hanna Rantala/Reuters