In 2018, actress Hayden Panettiere gave custody of her daughter, Kaya Evdokia Klitschko, who was then four years old, to her father, Ukrainian boxer Wladimir Klitschko. Panettiere and Klitschko were engaged, but separated as Panettiere dealt with postpartum depression, alcoholism, and substance abuse.

Panettiere said she did this so that her daughter would have stability while Panettiere worked on recovery. Sadly, Panettiere died on August 16 at the age of 36 of a suspected overdose and cardiac arrest.

Now Klitschko has issued a statement about Panettiere's passing.

The statement reads:

Our family is going through a time of profound shock and grief.

The announcement of Hayden's tragic death saddens me deeply. She left this world far too soon. Hayden was, although no longer my partner, an important part of my life and the mother of our daughter, Kaya.

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.

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

I extend my deepest condolences to Hayden's parents, her friends, and her fans who are also grieving today. Young and talented people like Hayden should not leave this world so soon.

I ask everyone to please respect my family's feelings and privacy during this incredibly difficult time. For now, this is all I wish to say.

Thank you to everyone who is supporting my family and expressing their sincere condolences.

Rest easy, Hayden. May you find eternal peace.

Klitschko, 50, met Panettiere at a party in 2008, and the couple got engaged in 2013. Their on-and-off relationship lasted nearly a decade and ended in 2018, per the New York Daily News. Panettiere died in Greenville, South Carolina. Her brother, Jansen, died at age 28 in 2023 of an enlarged heart and aortic valve complications.

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Funeral arrangements are still pending and no further information has been made public yet.