Michelle Rodriguez has voiced her concerns over the unsettling trend of young celebrities passing away, following the heartbreaking news of Hayden Panettiere’s death at just 36 years old.
“I have to say, it’s unbearable how many young lives we’re losing these days,” Rodriguez, 48, expressed to Variety. Her comments came during the 25th anniversary celebration of “The Fast and the Furious” in Los Angeles on Monday.
She continued with a heavy heart, “It’s deeply troubling and leaves me wondering, ‘What’s happening here?’ It’s not something we should be seeing. While I don’t want to jump to conclusions, it’s undeniably strange.”
“Overall, the sheer number of these occurrences since 2010 has been overwhelming,” Rodriguez observed, clearly disturbed by the trend.
Interestingly, Rodriguez and Panettiere shared the stage as co-hosts at the World Music Awards back in 2010, adding a personal layer to her sorrow.
When asked what she remembers most about the late actress, Rodriguez said, “Her curious spirit and how happy and joyous she is, because that’s her memory, right?”
The “Resident Evil” star’s remarks come one day after Panettiere was found “unresponsive” and “in cardiac arrest” at an Airbnb rental inside the Judson Mill Lofts apartment complex in Greenville, South Carolina, on Sunday afternoon.
The 911 dispatch call exclusively obtained by Page Six revealed that authorities reported an “overdose” and that “CPR [was] in progress.”
Medics attempted to resuscitate Panettiere with advanced cardiac life support and chest compressions, but she was pronounced dead at 2:32 p.m. She was 36.
Panettiere, who battled addiction and postpartum depression, was allegedly suffering from “really severe” back pain before her death.
In her memoir, “This Is Me: A Reckoning,” released in May, the “Heroes” alum also opened up about how child stardom had negative effects on her later in life.
Panettiere’s fellow former child stars Michelle Trachtenberg and Daveigh Chase, notably, also died in their 30s following years-long battles with addiction and grappling with the effects of being child actors.