Hayden Panettiere ’s connection to the Kingdom Hearts franchise has drawn fresh attention after her longtime video-game co-stars performed an emotional scene involving her character Kairi just one day before the actress’ death at 36.
Hayden Panettiere’s gaming career and Kairi role
The actress had voiced Kairi, one of the franchise’s central characters, beginning with the original Kingdom Hearts game in 2002. Panettiere’s work in the Kingdom Hearts series formed an important part of her career beyond television and film. Panettiere was later replaced as Kairi’s voice actor in Kingdom Hearts III, with Alyson Stoner taking over the role. Panettiere’s Kairi was not physically represented by a performer during the live scene, but her character is central to the emotional relationship between the three characters in the franchise.
The performance became particularly emotional after news broke of Panettiere’s death on Sunday.
