In the wake of the tragic death of 36-year-old actress Hayden Panettiere, everyone has been revisiting her old roles ranging from Remember the Titans to Heroes to Nashville. But Panettiere also has a history in a beloved video game franchise, Kingdom Hearts, and fans and cast members are honoring her there as well.
One of the most touching tributes we’ve seen to Panettiere is from Kingdom Hearts voice actress Alyson Stoner, who took over Panettiere’s role as Kairi in Kingdom Hearts at various times. Panettiere voiced Kairi in the original Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts 2. Alyson Stoner stepped in for a time before Panettiere returned to the role. Stoner then was Kairi in Kingdom Hearts 3 in 2019. Kingdom Hearts 4 was announced only this past week, and will be out in 2027. Stoner’s return is unknown (though likely), and obviously won’t be discussed for a while.
Stoner went online to make a tearful statement about Panettiere in the wake of her death:
“Hey, this is very raw. It’s very messy, and please give me some grace. I wanted to acknowledge Hayden’s passing. I’ve worked with Hayden, I’ve worked with Hayden’s brother Jansen [who died in 2023 from a heart condition], and from one Kairi to another, I just wanted to acknowledge the tremendous loss, not only for the Kingdom Hearts family but of course all of the close loved ones and the millions of lives Hayden reached.
“Sending so much love to Hayden’s family. I’ll be thinking of Hayden and the legacy that she has left, and sending lots of love to the Kingdom Hearts community too, and how we’re sharing in this loss.”
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Kingdom Hearts wasn’t Panettiere’s only foray into gaming, as she memorably played Samantha in the boundry-pushing, movie-like horror game Until Dawn alongside Rami Malek, Brett Dalton, Jordan Fisher and Peter Stormare. A sequel will be released in 2027. The game was adapted into a movie in 2025 that did not feature Panettiere.
Panettiere’s loss is being felt deeply across Hollywood, but she also had a role in a formative game for many players. The Kingdom Hearts series has sold 39 million copies by last count, and that will dramatically increase when the fourth game is out. Her impact is felt across all fields of entertainment, movies, TV and video games, and it’s a tragic situation that all her fans are mourning.
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