By Isabelle Wilson–
Kaya Klitschko, the 11-year-old daughter of the late actress Hayden Panettiere and former heavyweight world champion Wladimir Klitschko, made a rare appearance in court on Thursday as her father was granted temporary guardianship over the estate of the actress who died unexpectedly in August.
Panettiere died on August 16 at the age of 36 after being found unresponsive at a residence in Greenville, South Carolina. An autopsy initially found no trauma or signs of foul play, while subsequent reporting based on the coroner’s findings stated that her death resulted from the toxic effects of multiple drugs and was classified as accidental.
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Kaya appeared remotely during a California court hearing concerning Panettiere’s estate, briefly speaking with the judge to confirm her identity and that she was with her father. The child appeared composed and soft-spoken as she answered the judge’s questions, while
. The hearing ended with the court granting the former dominant heavyweight champion temporary guardianship over the estate, giving him legal authority to protect his daughter’s inheritance while a permanent administrator is appointed.
The proceedings are significant because Kaya is Panettiere’s sole beneficiary, meaning that the estate ultimately belongs to the child rather than to Klitschko personally. His application was made on Kaya’s behalf after concerns were raised that some of Panettiere’s belongings could be lost, damaged or improperly removed before a formal representative of the estate was appointed.
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Klitschko’s lawyer also asked the court for authority to seek law-enforcement assistance in investigating and recovering property allegedly misappropriated by a non-family member, including jewellery that he believes may have been taken to a pawn shop.
Klitschko has said he was informed that a person who was not a member of Panettiere’s family had sold or attempted The pair met in 2008 and began dating the following year, when Panettiere was already an established young Hollywood actress and Klitschko was one of the world’s most recognisable heavyweight boxers. They separated in 2011 but subsequently reunited, and Panettie
Their relationship also crossed the worlds of American entertainment and Ukrainian public life. Klitschko was not simply a successful boxer; alongside his brother Vitali, another former heavyweight champion who later became mayor of Kyiv, he was a prominent
Complicated
Behind the glamour, their relationship became increasingly complicated after Kaya’s birth. Panettiere subsequently spoke openly about suffering postpartum depression and struggling with alcohol and substance abuse, and in 2018 she gave
Kaya went to live with her father, principally in Ukraine, when she was still very young. Panettiere later insisted that the decision should not be interpreted as her simply abandoning her child, describing the loss of day-to-day custody as one of the most painful experiences of her life.
Thae pair’s history gives particular significance to Klitschko’s role in protecting Kaya’s inheritance today. Although he and Panettiere were no longer partners, they remained connected through their daughter, and Klitschko publicly described the actress after her death as an important part of his life and the mother of his child.
Wladimir KLitscho, Hayden panettiere and baby kaya Image: Hayden Panettiere/X
In a statement released after Panettiere died, KLitschko promised Kaya that he would speak about her mother with respect, and ensure that she remembered the person she was, rather than allowing her legacy to be defined solely by the difficulties she experienced.
Panettiere had spent much of her life in the public eye. She began acting as a child and accumulated television and film credits before becoming internationally recognised as Claire Bennet in NBC’s Heroes, the 2006 drama about people discovering extraordinary abilities.
The role made her a familiar face around the world and established her as one of the young stars of American television. She subsequently took on a very different role in ABC’s Nashville, playing Juliette Barnes, a talented but troubled country singer whose career and personal life
Her film work included appearances in Remember the Titans, Scream 4 and Bring It On: All or Nothing, while her career also included voice work and music. Yet her later years became increasingly defined in public discussion by the personal struggles that she had herself chosen to discuss. In her memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning, published earlier in 2026, Panettiere wrote about postpartum depression, addiction, motherhood and the painful decision to place Kaya in her father’s care.
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