Hayden Panettiere Said She Had 'A Lot More Life to Live' Months Before Death

Hayden Panettiere was looking forward to a fresh start just three months before her death ... saying she felt she had "a lot more life to live."

Hayden made the heartbreaking comment on Jay Shetty's "On Purpose" podcast in May ... telling him she felt like she had finally shaken off the darkness and negativity that followed her for years.

Asked what she would call her next chapter after releasing her memoir, "This Is Me: A Reckoning," Hayden said she wasn't ready to name it ... but felt one door had closed and another had opened.

Hayden said she could feel "all the exciting possibilities" ahead of her ... declaring, "I feel like I have a lot more life to live."

The hopeful words have taken on a heartbreaking new meaning after Hayden was found dead Sunday at 36.

As we reported ... a friend found Hayden unresponsive inside a Greenville, South Carolina apartment and called 911 ... and the dispatch audio mentions a possible "overdose."

Paramedics attempted to resuscitate her, but she was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police said there were no initial signs of foul play and the circumstances did not appear suspicious. Her cause and manner of death have not been determined.