Hayden Panettiere, the child actor who rose to stardom in television and also spoke with raw frankness about her struggles with fame and mental health, died Sunday, according to her family. She was 36.

Panettiere’s father, Skip, announced the actor’s death in a statement shared with The Times on Sunday.

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

Panettiere was found unresponsive at an apartment complex in Greenville, S.C., shortly before 2 p.m. Eastern time after an unnamed acquaintance called 911, police said in a statement. Police did not list a cause of death but said the preliminary investigation had not indicated any signs of foul play.

According to a statement from Greenville County coroner Mike Ellis, no signs of trauma were discovered during the autopsy Monday that would have contributed to Panettiere’s death. The cause and manner of death remain unknown pending further investigation and the completion of additional studies.

In dispatch audio from Greenville County emergency medical services, a first responder to the apartment complex, Judson Mill Lofts west of downtown Greenville, on Sunday said a person at the location was in cardiac arrest. Minutes later, another emergency responder said “CPR is in progress.”

Panettiere starred on “Nashville” (2012-18) and, before that, “Heroes” (2006-10). Her early work as a child included roles in the 1990s on the soap operas “One Life to Live” and “Guiding Light.” She was a model and a singer, having released several singles.

Panettiere also starred in the “Scream” horror movie franchise as well as in hits “I Love You, Beth Cooper” and “Remember the Titans.”

She gained major attention with “Heroes,” in which she played a cheerleader with superpowers.

On “Nashville,” she played a troubled country music star, doing her own singing. She received two Golden Globe nominations for best supporting actress for the role.

Panettiere was candid about her struggles while living so much of her life in the public eye.

Panettiere gave birth to her daughter, with boxing champ Wladimir Klitschko, in 2014 and battled postpartum depression. She gave up custody of the child in 2018, a decision she called “heartbreaking.”

In May, the actor published a memoir, “This Is Me: A Reckoning,” in which she opened up about her alcoholism and depression after the birth of her daughter. In interviews about the book, she reflected on the scrutiny she faced as a young actor.

“It blows my mind that people could be so cruel,” she told the New York Times. “Looking back as an adult and a mother of a daughter, it’s hard to believe that grown adults were OK with ripping you apart at such a tender age. At any age, really.

“I just can’t believe I made it through alive,” she added.

Panettiere was born Aug. 21, 1989, in Palisades, N.Y., to Lesley Vogel, an actor, and Alan Lee “Skip” Panettiere, a captain in the New York Fire Department. She first appeared on screen at 11 months old, acting in a commercial.

At age 9, she voiced Princess Dot in the 1998 Pixar movie “A Bug’s Life.” Two years later, she made a splash in the role of a young football-obsessed fan and daughter of assistant coach Bill Yoast (Will Patton) in the 2000 football drama “Remember the Titans,” which starred Denzel Washington.

Panettiere told “ET” in 2023, “If I had a wish to go back to any time in my life, it would be going back to ‘Remember the Titans.’ ... There were so many stars made from this movie.”

Panettiere was passionate about animals and began advocating for whale conservation in her teens. She came out as bisexual earlier this year, telling Us Magazine that she was sad to have waited until age 36 to do so.

She spoke up about her experience with domestic abuse after a public altercation in Los Angeles in 2022 involving then-boyfriend Brian Hickerson, who was on probation at the time following multiple domestic violence charges that dated back to 2018.

In 2023, her younger brother and only sibling, Jansen Panettiere, died of heart complications. He had struggled with substance abuse and she got him into treatment, she told Us Magazine.

At the height of her fame on “Heroes,” she was regularly followed by the paparazzi and was the focus of much tabloid attention. Looking back on that time recently, she told a podcaster: “It was just sheer terror.”

In the statement on Sunday, Panettiere’s father said the family asked for privacy “as our family takes time to process this unimaginable loss.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.