Hayden Panettiere was remembered Saturday during a special celebration of life ceremony by some of her closest Hollywood friends — and we’re told the memorial was “emotional and beautiful.”

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ … celebrities such as Paris Hilton, Evan Ross, Connie Britton, Charles Esten, Lennon Stella and Jonathan Jackson were among the 150 or so guests on hand to honor the late actress at the church memorial in Malibu, California.

As everyone knows … Hayden died August 16 after she was found unresponsive inside a Greenville, South Carolina, Airbnb. TMZ broke the story … law enforcement sources believe Hayden died after taking a black-market oxycodone pill laced with fentanyl.

During Saturday’s memorial, Britton and Esten gave speeches, and Esten also sang one of Hayden’s songs from their show, “Nashville,” with a band set up at the church, our sources say.

We’re also told the guests watched as doves were released outside the church before moving inside for the ceremony.   

Hayden’s dad, Skip,attended the memorial … but, as we first reported, Hayden’s mom, Lesley Vogel was not invited, along with Hayden’s boyfriend, Brian Hickerson, and his brother Zach.