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Alexa PenaVega’s “heart is heavy” after the death of Hayden Panettiere , most notably because it marks the third passing of a fellow child star in 2026. The “Spy Kids” actor noted in a statement on social media that
she rose to fame with and grew up alongside the likes of Panettiere, Michelle Trachtenberg and Daveigh Chase. All three actors died in their 30s between February and August.
“Hayden, Michelle, Daveigh… my heart is heavy today,” PenaVega wrote. “These aren’t just names from my childhood. They’re girls I grew up alongside, sharing a world that was exciting and also incredibly hard. We were kids navigating something so big, and not everyone had the foundation or support they deserved.”
“Today, I’m grieving and holding their families close in my prayers and thinking of everyone still fighting battles we can’t see,” she added. “Hug your people close today.”
PenaVega, Panettiere, Trachtenberg and Chase all came of age together in Hollywood in the 2000s. Vega’s breakout turn in 2001’s “Spy Kids” made her a regular at Hollywood premieres, where she was often photographed with her fellow child-turned-teen stars. Chase and PenaVega walked part of Disney’s “Freaky Friday” red carpet together in 2003 (one year after Chase voiced Lilo in the studio’s animated movie “Lilo & Stitch”), while PaneVega attended the premiere of Panettiere’s “Raising Helen” in 2004, among several other Hollywood encounters.
Panettiere died on Sunday in Greenville, South Carolina, at the age of 36. Her death is currently under investigation, but there were “not any signs of foul play or suspicious circumstances,” according to police. She was beloved for the television series “Heroes” and “Nasvhille,” but she broke out as a Disney child star in “A Bug’s Life” and “Remember the Titans,” among other hit roles.
Also beginning work as a child actor, Trachtenberg appeared in the ’90s Nickelodeon series “The Adventures of Pete & Pete” before starring in the family film “Harriet the Spy” in 1996 at the age of 10. As a teenager, she featured as Dawn Summers in “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and later played Georgina Sparks on the teen drama “Gossip Girl.” Trachtenberg died in February at 39 years old due to natural causes, as a result of complications from diabetes mellitus.
Chase, who voiced Lilo in “Lilo & Stitch” and starred in “The Ring,” died June 16 in Los Angeles at 35. The actor’s cause of death was AIDS, according to the coroner’s office. A secondary cause was listed as “chronic polysubstance use.” Chase’s father, John David Schwallier, told the New York Times that she had been homeless and had struggled with drugs since the age of 13.
