Wladimir Klitschko Makes Promise to Daughter Kaya After Hayden Panettiere’s Death
Wladimir Klitschko Makes Promise to Daughter Kaya After Hayden Panettiere’s Death
Mija MarkovicTue, August 18, 2026 at 2:17 PM UTC
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Image Credit: klitschko/Instagram.
Wladimir Klitschko has made a promise about Hayden Panettiere to the daughter they shared following the actress's death at 36, Kaya will grow up hearing about her mother with respect.
The retired heavyweight champion addressed Panettiere's death in an Aug. 18 Instagram post that included a photograph of the former couple with their now-11-year-old daughter.
Klitschko said his family was experiencing “profound shock and grief” and described Panettiere as an important part of his life even though they were no longer together.
Panettiere and Klitschko began dating in 2009, became engaged in 2013 and welcomed Kaya in December 2014. They separated for good in 2018, the same year Panettiere signed over custody of Kaya to Klitschko while she was struggling with addiction and seeking treatment. Kaya has primarily lived with her father in Europe.
Panettiere Rejected the Claim That She ‘Gave Away’ Kaya
Panettiere spoke extensively about the custody arrangement during the final months of her life, pushing back against a public narrative that she had willingly abandoned her daughter.
In her 2026 memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning, Panettiere wrote about Klitschko seeking full custody while she was struggling with addiction and her mental health. She was still working toward recovery and ultimately decided not to fight the arrangement.
During a May appearance on On Purpose with Jay Shetty, Panettiere said the suggestion that she simply “gave away” her daughter “couldn't be farther from the truth.” “I mean, the idea that anybody would think that I would just give away my child and be okay with it is heartbreaking,” she said.
Panettiere described being separated from Kaya's everyday life as extraordinarily painful. She had initially hoped that after getting healthy she could change the arrangement, but by then Kaya had established a life in Europe surrounded by family, friends and activities.
“So by the time I finally got healthy, I felt like it would have been unfair of me to, and selfish of me to try to pull her out of this life that she had been creating, this life that she had been living,” Panettiere said. She described it as an “incredible life.”
Panettiere said she traveled to see Kaya as often as possible and spent considerable time with her through FaceTime. She described their relationship as a “really intense, incredible bond” and emphasized that Kaya understood she had two parents who loved her. “She in no way feels abandoned,” Panettiere said, adding that she had made a point of remaining aware of that throughout their separation.
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Panettiere Called Klitschko an ‘Amazing Father’
Despite the pain she associated with living apart from Kaya, Panettiere repeatedly praised Klitschko's parenting. In This Is Me: A Reckoning, she described not living under the same roof with her daughter as the most gut-wrenching experience of her life but called Klitschko an “amazing father to Kaya.”
Panettiere also wrote openly about grieving the kind of motherhood she had wanted for herself. “I grieve that I'm not the mother I want to be,” she wrote, adding that no one should have to raise a child over FaceTime. Still, she described Kaya as “the greatest gift of my life” and said her daughter carried the best qualities of both parents.
In another May interview, Panettiere said she was grateful for the relationship they had maintained despite the geographical distance. She said Kaya was increasingly calling her on her own, sometimes involving her mother in conversations with her friends.
Panettiere's concern also extended to how Kaya might eventually understand the more painful material in her memoir. She said she never wanted her daughter to read the book and believe any of her mother's struggles had been her fault. “I love her so dearly,” Panettiere said. “I'll continue protecting her, especially while she's young.”
Klitschko Says He Will Speak of Panettiere ‘With Respect’
“Our family is going through a time of profound shock and grief,” he wrote. “The announcement of Hayden's tragic death saddens me deeply. She left this world far too soon.”
Klitschko acknowledged that their romantic relationship had ended years earlier while making clear that Panettiere's place in his family had not disappeared with their separation. “Hayden was, although no longer my partner, an important part of my life and the mother of our daughter, Kaya,” he wrote.
He also reflected on Panettiere's career and the pressures she had faced after entering the entertainment industry as a child. “She built an incredible career through immense talent, while also facing the darker sides of a very demanding industry,” Klitschko wrote. “Nothing will erase the times we shared or the place she had in our lives.”
He then addressed the promise he intends to keep for their daughter. “To our daughter Kaya, I will always speak of her mother with respect and make sure she remembers the person she was,” Klitschko wrote.
He extended condolences to Panettiere's parents, friends and fans before adding, “Young and talented people like Hayden should not leave this world so soon.”
Klitschko Asked for Privacy for Their Family
“I ask everyone to please respect our family's feelings and privacy during this incredibly difficult time,” he wrote. “For now, this is all I wish to say.”
He thanked those who had expressed condolences and supported his family before closing with a final message to Panettiere. “Rest easy, Hayden. May you find eternal peace.”
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
