Hayden Panettiere’s ‘Heroes’ Dad Mourns Star and Criticizes Paparazzi That ‘Hunted’ Her

Jack Coleman, who co-starred in the sci-fi drama Heroes alongside Hayden Panettiere , mourned the actress’ death at age 36 in an emotional tribute.

Panettiere died on Sunday and her death is being investigated after an apparent overdose .

“I’m heartbroken. I couldn’t begin to put my thoughts into words until now, and they will be inadequate,” began Coleman in his remembrance posted to social media. “I’ve loved Hayden since day one of the pilot of Heroes, 20 years ago, when she introduced herself by shouting ‘daddy’ and throwing her arms around me. From that day on, she called me daddio. She was Haydini, because she was a magician.”

Coleman praised Panettiere, who began acting in the early 1990s, for being a “prodigious talent.” He recalled an early scene on the series when a “tear rolled down her cheek on the same line, take after take.” The actor said that while he “marveled at her technique,” Panettiere, who was 16 at the time, corrected him and replied, “It’s not technique.” She said, “I’m not a trained seal. I feel it and the tears just happen to come at that moment.”

By the time she was 17, Coleman says she was “#1 on IMDB Pro.” As she gained more recognition throughout her career, Panettiere was routinely asked “obnoxious” questions, many of which took the form of “when are you going to go off the rails?”

Coleman added, “Today, we’d recognize those questions for the misogynistic provocations they were.” He continued, “She was hunted. Everywhere she went, there were photographers with 300 millimeter lenses—the kind that can make even the most innocent activity look sinister. Once, when she came to our house, paparazzi hid in the bushes behind our yard and drove onto neighbors’ lawns. They were predatory. No one, especially a teenager, should be targeted that way.”

Before ending his tribute, Coleman remembered how Panettiere “brought joy to the set and was “a tiny colossus who loved to laugh.” He added, “That shining face, that megawatt smile, that wasn’t just for the camera. That was her. She glowed.” Editor’s picks The 250 Greatest Albums of the 21st Century So Far The 100 Best TV Episodes of All Time The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time 100 Best Movies of the 21st Century