United Kingdom, Aug. 20 -- Jonathan Jackson says he and his wife loved Hayden Panettiere "like our own sister".

The Nashville actor, who worked with the late star on six seasons of the hit music drama, has hailed her as "an absolute joy to work with", and someone he and his wife Elisa Jackson, formerly known as Lisa Vultaggio, "cherished" having in their lives.

He wrote on Instagram: "Elisa and I both love and cherish her deeply, like our own sister. She holds that place in our hearts.

"My prayer for her every day we worked together was that she would know how loved she is, and that she would find the peace that she was looking for.

"It's not possible to express the shock and grief that so many of us feel right now. Our humble prayers...