Ethan Crossfield 
Hayden Panettiere, the actor recognized for Nashville, Heroes, and several major film roles, has died at 36. For game audiences, her work is especially familiar through Kairi in the early English versions of Kingdom Hearts and Sam Giddings in Until Dawn. Players looking back at those performances can find Panettiere’s contributions across several Kingdom Hearts releases, as well as the original horror game and its 2024 remake.
What changed for Kingdom Hearts fans
Panettiere was the original English voice of Kairi in Kingdom Hearts, Kingdom Hearts II, and Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep. She also voiced Xion in Birth by Sleep and Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance, giving her a connection to more than one important character in the series’ English cast. She did not return for Kingdom Hearts III, where Alyson Stoner handled Kairi’s role instead. That change means Panettiere’s performances remain most closely associated with the earlier games and their subsequent collections.
Where to experience her game performances
Until Dawn brought Panettiere into a different kind of game role. She portrayed Samantha “Sam” Giddings, one of the horror title’s primary characters, and contributed both her likeness and motion-capture performance. She appeared in the original 2015 release and in its 2024 remake. For readers choosing what to revisit, the Kingdom Hearts games offer her voice work in an action-RPG setting, while Until Dawn provides a more direct performance built around character acting, facial likeness, and motion capture.
What comes next for her legacy
Panettiere’s screen career included Juliette Barnes in Nashville, Claire Bennet in Heroes and Heroes Reborn, and appearances in Remember the Titans, I Love You, Beth Cooper, Scream 4, and Sleepwalker. Her game credits broaden that legacy beyond television and film, particularly for players who encountered Kairi during Kingdom Hearts’ early English releases or Sam’s story in Until Dawn. No further information about her death is provided in the available source material, so readers should avoid speculation about its circumstances. Her family and loved ones remain in the thoughts of the gaming community and those who followed her work.
What players should know
- Panettiere voiced Kairi in Kingdom Hearts, Kingdom Hearts II, and Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep.
- She also voiced Xion in Birth by Sleep and Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance.
- Alyson Stoner took over Kairi’s English voice for Kingdom Hearts III.
- Panettiere played Sam Giddings in Until Dawn and its 2024 remake, contributing her likeness and motion capture.
Expert View
Panettiere’s gaming work is notable because it spans two very different performance styles: voice acting across multiple Kingdom Hearts entries and a physically grounded horror role in Until Dawn. Neither credit should be treated as a footnote to her television career; both helped make memorable characters accessible to English-speaking players. Revisiting those games offers a respectful way to recognize the range of her contribution without overstating what is known about her passing.
