Beth Chamberlin

The actress played Panettiere's on-screen mother in the soap opera Guiding Light for three years and hailed the tragic star as "the most brilliant child actor I've ever seen".

Chamberlin posted on Instagram: "The things she could do, the way she could remember 20+ pages of dialogue, day after day.

"Even on days where the director would come out between dress (rehearsal) and tape and make huge cuts to the scenes, Hayden, never once forgot a line or missed her blocking. The adult would, but not Hayden.

"I felt blessed to work with her. And always perfect in her playing of the scene."