Hayden Panettiere Died From Accidental Fentanyl Overdose

The Greenville County coroner’s office in South Carolina announced on September 22 the cause of death of actress Hayden Panettiere: an accident, brought on by the toxic effects of five substances found in her system.

Panettiere died on August 16 at an apartment in the Judson Mill complex on Greenville’s west side. Paramedics arrived after a 911 call and found her in cardiac arrest. According to the Post and Courier, her boyfriend Brian Hickerson and his brother Zack were in the apartment at the time. Despite attempts to resuscitate her, the actress died at the scene, about 40 minutes after the first responders arrived.

In a statement carried by the Post and Courier, the coroner’s office said: “The cause of death is the toxic effects of fentanyl, 4-ANPP, alprazolam, methocarbamol and quetiapine. The manner of death has been ruled accidental.” According to the same paper, 4-ANPP is a precursor used in the production of fentanyl, alprazolam is better known by the brand name Xanax, methocarbamol is a muscle relaxant, and quetiapine is an antipsychotic also used to treat bipolar disorder and depression.

Sources differ on her age. The Post and Courier and ABC7 Chicago report that she was 36, while the Nova portal, citing Deadline, states she died at 37.

An autopsy performed the day after her death found no signs of injury or anything indicating another person’s involvement, the coroner’s office said. Days later the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) also became involved in the case, and according to the New York Times, as reported by the Post and Courier, the investigation is being conducted in both Los Angeles and South Carolina.

Her father, Skip Panettiere, released a statement to ABC News on the Sunday the news of her death broke:

It is with the deepest heartbreak that we confirm the tragic passing of our beloved Hayden. She was an extraordinary light, a force of nature who brought immense love and joy to all who knew her, and to the millions who watched her on screen.

The family asked for privacy, saying they were doing so “as we navigate this unimaginable loss.”

Panettiere began her career as a child, appearing in commercials and soap operas. Worldwide fame came in 2006 with the role of Claire Bennet in “Heroes,” followed by the part of country star Juliette Barnes in the drama “Nashville.” In the “Scream” film franchise she played Kirby Reed, and she also appeared in “Remember the Titans,” “Ice Princess” and “Raising Helen.” She was nominated for a Grammy and won three Teen Choice Awards.

In May she published a memoir, “This Is Me: A Reckoning,” in which she wrote openly about addiction, postpartum depression, trauma and domestic violence. She touched on similar themes in a 2022 interview with “Good Morning America,” discussing alcoholism after giving birth. Her brother, Jansen Panettiere, died suddenly in February 2023 at age 28, from an enlarged heart and complications with his aortic valve. Two years later, in an interview with People, Hayden said she had never gotten over that loss.

Panettiere is survived by a daughter, born in 2014, with her former fiance, boxer Wladimir Klitschko.