Now this is the kind of tribute Hayden Panettiere deserves.
It’s officially been one week since the world was rocked by the young actress’ tragic death last Monday, August 16, at just 36 years old. Since she was found unresponsive on the floor of a Greenville apartment, condolences have poured in from fans, family members, and former co-stars of the North Carolina native.
However, for those who became immersed in all six seasons of the 2012 ABC drama Nashville, in which Panettiere famously co-starred, Charles Esten’s tear-jerking tribute over the weekend undoubtedly takes the cake. Esten, who starred opposite Panettiere as the talented guitarist Deacon Claybourne, delivered a beautiful full-circle moment on Saturday, August 22, honoring his former co-star from none other than the historic Grand Ole Opry circle.
Esten’s a frequent Opry performer, with over 170 appearances under his belt, but this most recent show was an extremely special one with the 60-year-old actor taking a moment in his set to share his earliest memories with Panettiere before they had even begun filming their fan-favorite TV show. Sharing with the Opry crowd, he announced, “You may have heard, me and my Nashville family suffered a terrible loss, our dear dear friend Hayden Panettiere, who played the incredible Juliette Barnes and she was just a bright shining light of fireworks.”
He then recalled that Panettiere had been an incredible source of support from the start, even eavesdropping as he performed two scenes and two songs during his very first Nashville audition: “I opened the door to go out of my audition, and it bumped into somebody kinda hard. And I went out there, and it was Hayden Panettiere.”
The blonde bundle of joy immediately started cheering him on, squealing, “Oh my God, you were so good.” The two got to talking, and Esten extended his admiration, noting he was a fan of her previous role on the 2006 sci-fi series, Heroes, and finally parting with the joking statement, “I’ll see ya on the set.”
Well, leaving with very little confidence he’d actually land the role of Deacon, sure enough, a month later both stars reunited on the Nashville set, and Panettiere immediately returned their inside joke, pointing at him and cheekily stating, “I’ll see you on the set.” Come to find out, Esten shared that Panettiere was his cheerleader beyond that first interaction as she marched in her own audition and advocated for him behind doors before even sharing anything about herself, telling the casting directors and producers, “If you don’t hire that guy, you’re crazy.”
Panettiere and Esten then filmed their very first scene together in the backroom hallways of the Opry. Nearly 15 years later, on the very same stage, he led into an extremely touching special-dedicated performance of his self-penned 2024 track, “Somewhere in the Sunshine.”
Surely Esten never thought the tear-jerking ballad would apply to his kind-hearted co-star, but the song fit as the perfect tribute for Panettire, yielding the tear-jerking lyrics alluding to heaven:
You should see this place, it’s beautiful It’s every place we ever tried to find
It’s got a mountain view
You can see the ocean too
I guess that’s why they call it paradise
So, don’t you cry for me, ‘cause I’m just fine
I’m somewhere in the sunshine
A selfie of the two displayed on the screen above Esten during his performance only added to the emotion of the already tear-jerking tribute. The now-viral clip has fans flooding the comments to pay their respects and share their heartbreak over the young star gone far too soon.
Much of Panettiere’s death still remains a mystery as details surrounding her passing continue to be pieced together amid reports of alleged struggles with substance abuse. Sending prayers to her loved ones as they continue to navigate this incredibly difficult loss.