PETA releases Hayden Panettiere's final campaign

Actress and animal rights advocate Hayden Panettiere has died at the age of 36, and the organization People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals has released what it describes as one of her final advocacy projects as a tribute. Panettiere was found unresponsive in cardiac arrest at her home in Greenville, South Carolina, on Sunday, August 16, 2026. No official cause of death has been determined by authorities, with toxicology results still pending.

Following her passing, PETA unveiled a video campaign featuring the "Heroes" and "Nashville" star that was filmed approximately two weeks before her death. In the campaign, Panettiere is shown both clothed and in a bathtub to illustrate the confinement of marine mammals. "Imagine spending your entire life in a bathtub. That's what it's like for dolphins and whales in tiny tanks at marine amusement parks," she states in the video, urging viewers to boycott such facilities.

Panettiere was a longtime activist against dolphin hunting and marine mammal captivity. Her involvement in animal welfare extended back to 2007, when she traveled to Taiji, Japan, to protest the annual dolphin hunt. That action was documented in the Academy...