Sam Palladio remembered Nashville co-star Hayden Panettiere in a heartfelt tribute.

Palladio, 39, said he’s “utterly heartbroken,” following Panettiere’s death on Sunday afternoon (August 16) in Greenville, South Carolina. She was 36. The pair worked together on the musical TV series that premiered in 2012 and ran until 2018, playing Gunnar Scott and Juliette Barnes, respectively. Palladio said he was a fan of Panettiere’s before landing the role, and “my jaw dropped” when he learned they’d be working together.

“Hayden. I’m totally utterly heartbroken,” Palladio wrote in a caption on Instagram on Tuesday morning (August 18). “I remember watching you long before I met you and being spellbound by your talent, your empathy and your skill as a storyteller. I remember vividly getting the call from my agent telling me that you’d been cast in ‘Nashville’ and my jaw dropped that I’d be getting to meet you, let alone act along side you.

“I remember touching down in America for the 1st time and heading straight to the Hutton hotel in Nashville, as I walked into the lobby a voice shouted ‘Saaaammm’ and you came running across the lobby to give me a hug,” he continued. “I was so starstruck and what an incredible a welcome to America I thought. I sat and watched your skill on set that had been keenly perfected after years of hard work and hoped one day to shine as brightly as you did.

“Later after wrapping shooting the pilot of ‘Nashville,’ I said I’d like yo visit LA for the first time and you said ‘you got to come stay at my place!’ There I was only a matter of weeks after being your biggest unknown fan, being welcome into your home for a whole summer and sharing unforgettable memories with you, your friends and partially your dear late brother Jansen,” Palladio remembered. Panettiere’s younger brother, actor Jansen Panettiere, died of “cardiomegaly (enlarged heart), coupled with aortic valve complications,” the family confirmed in February 2023. He was 28.

Palladio continued, “I also remember sitting in your car and harmonising with you as you practiced the song ‘Undermine’ and thinking what a deep musical passion and soul you had. You were generous, wise beyond your years and lit up every room with your star. It feels so incredibly sad that you’re not here and that you’d been through so much turmoil in recent years. You didn’t deserve any of it.

“It’s not lost on me that myself and all my ‘Nashville’ cast mates are here in no small part because of your shine, and your magnetism on and off screen,” he wrote. “This is going to take a long time to get to grips with this huge loss and my thoughts are with your family and your dear daughter and all the fans that are just as heartbroken as me. For now, I’m sending love to you sweet Hayden. I know we’ll all come together in the following days to pay beautiful tribute. Rest now and be free.”

Palladio and Panettiere starred in Nashville alongside Connie Britton, Charles Esten, Clare Bowen, Jonathan Jackson, Chris Carmack, Kimberly Williams-Paisley and more, plus real-life country artists who made appearances on the show. Some of Panettiere’s other Nashville co-stars and others in the country music community have taken part in the outpouring of tributes in the late actress’ memory.

Panettiere was found unresponsive at a home in Grenville, South Carolina. Responders can be heard discussing a possible “overdose” and “cardiac arrest” in dispatch audio. Panettiere’s death remains under investigation by the Greenville Police Department and the Greenville County Coroner's Office. In addition to Nashville, Panettiere was also known for her roles in Heroes, I Love You, Beth Cooper, Remember the Titans, Scream 4 and many other projects.

“It is with profound sadness that we share the tragic passing of our beloved Hayden,” a statement confirmed on Sunday. “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.”