Kingdom Hearts pays tribute to Hayden Panettiere, who "brought warmth, heart, and an unforgettable voice" to Kairi

News
By
Published

The actor passed away aged 36

Kairi smiles as she reaches out her hand in Kingdom Hearts 2.
(Image credit: Square Enix)

The official Kingdom Hearts social media accounts have paid tribute to American actor Hayden Panettiere, the voice behind Kairi in the earliest games in the RPG series, after her death at age 36.

Panettiere held numerous iconic roles throughout her career, both on screen and in video games. From Princess Dot in A Bug's Life to Kirby Reed in the Scream series, Sam in Until Dawn, and Kairi in Kingdom Hearts 1, 2, and Birth by Sleep (as well as Xion in Dream Drop Distance), she's had a massive impact on many franchises.

Now, the official Kingdom Hearts account on Twitter and Bluesky has paid tribute to Panettiere, sending condolences to her friends and family.

Latest Videos FromGamesRadar+

"We are deeply saddened by the passing of Hayden Panettiere," a statement begins. "Through her performance as Kairi, Hayden brought warmth, heart, and an unforgettable voice to the Kingdom Hearts series.

"Our thoughts are with her family, friends, and loved ones," it concludes.

Supermassive Games, the studio behind Until Dawn, has shared a similar sentiment, spotlighting her work in turning Sam "into one of horror gaming's most iconic final girls" in the 2015 game – one that'd go on to get a remake in 2024, as well as a movie adaptation last year.

"We are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Hayden Panettiere," the devs say. "Hayden brought Sam to life in Until Dawn, shaping her into one of horror gaming's most iconic final girls. Our thoughts are with her friends, family, and our community. Rest in peace, Hayden."

Catherine Lewis
Catherine Lewis
Deputy News Editor

I'm GamesRadar+'s Deputy News Editor, working alongside the rest of the news team to deliver cool gaming stories that we love. After spending more hours than I can count filling The University of Sheffield's student newspaper with Pokemon and indie game content, and picking up a degree in Journalism Studies, I started my career at GAMINGbible where I worked as a journalist for over a year and a half. I then became TechRadar Gaming's news writer, where I sourced stories and wrote about all sorts of intriguing topics. In my spare time, you're sure to find me on my Nintendo Switch or PS5 playing through story-driven RPGs like Xenoblade Chronicles and Persona 5 Royal, nuzlocking old Pokemon games, or going for a Victory Royale in Fortnite.

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.

LATEST ARTICLES
  1. Steam calendar four by three grid of multiple games
    1
    Another Steam page is being turned into an algorithm as Valve aims to show "10x more games to customers"
  2. 2
    American Truck Simulator adds DLC where you don't have to drive a truck, suddenly sets a new all-time Steam player record
  3. 3
    Nearly 20 years later, Guillermo del Toro finally confirms old BioShock movie rumors: "Probably one of the most disastrous calls I've ever had"
  4. 4
    Diablo 5 director responds to concerns the action RPG is more action than RPG: "Any challenge can be overcome with the right build"
  5. 5
    Rockstar flashes its wallet, says GTA 6 doesn't compromise on detail or scale: "I don't think we have ever created anything close to this before"