Jonathan Jackson Shares Touching Tribute to Hayden Panettiere: “She Had Such a Bright Light Within Her”

Nashville actors Jonathan Jackson and Clare Bowen paid a touching tributes to their late co-star Hayden Panettiere on social media on Wednesday.

In a message on Instagram , Jackson, who played Avery Barkley, the bad boy on-again and-off again love interest of Panettiere’s Juliette Barnes in the ABC country music drama, described his co-star as a “sensitive soul” who was “incredibly funny and witty.”

Panettiere, who died Sunday in Greenville, South Carolina at 36 , and Jackson starred in Nashville for six seasons, from October 2010 to March 2016. Jackson described how they both “grew up in the industry” and shared that “silent knowing of how intense the struggles can be.” He went on to write that, “she was an absolute joy to work with. Focused, spontaneous and brilliant. The most important thing between friends and coworkers is trust, and we had this.” Related Stories General News Hayden Panettiere's Neighbor Says She Called 911 Multiple Times to Report Disturbances With Star's Boyfriend News DEA Joins Investigation Into Hayden Panettiere's Death, Sources Say

He added that it was “not possible to express the shock and grief that so many of us feel right now.”