KEY POINT
- Panettiere died on Aug. 16 at an apartment in Greenville, South Carolina.
- The coroner ruled the manner of death accidental and found no trauma that contributed to it.
- Panettiere was known for “Heroes” and “Nashville” and had publicly discussed addiction and postpartum depression.
Hayden Panettiere’s Death Ruled an Accident
Actress Hayden Panettiere died from the toxic effects of fentanyl and several other substances, with the Greenville County Coroner’s Office ruling her death an accident.
The official determination provides the first confirmed explanation for the 36-year-old actress’s death after weeks of investigation. The coroner identified fentanyl, 4-ANPP, alprazolam, methocarbamol and quetiapine among the substances involved.
Panettiere was found unresponsive after emergency responders were called to an apartment in Greenville on Aug. 16. The Greenville County Coroner’s Office had initially said additional testing was needed before determining the cause and manner of death.
The completed findings now identify the toxic effects of multiple substances as the cause. The office also reported that its examination found no signs of trauma that contributed to her death.
The determination distinguishes the confirmed medical cause from earlier reports that circulated while the investigation was still active. Before the toxicology findings were released, Panettiere’s representative had urged caution over reports based on unnamed sources and said the circumstances remained under investigation.
A 911 call was made after Panettiere became unresponsive at the Greenville residence where she had been temporarily staying. Emergency medical personnel attempted resuscitation after finding her in cardiac arrest, but those efforts were unsuccessful.
Police records identified Brian Hickerson and his brother, Zach, as being at the location when emergency personnel arrived. Hickerson provided authorities with a bag of medications that he said Panettiere was taking, according to the police report.
Authorities previously reported no indication of foul play during the initial investigation. The newly released coroner finding establishes the manner of death as accidental.
Panettiere became a performer as a child before gaining widespread recognition as Claire Bennet on “Heroes.” She later starred as Juliette Barnes on “Nashville,” a role that earned her two Golden Globe nominations.
Her personal struggles had also become part of her public story. In her memoir “This Is Me: A Reckoning,” Panettiere wrote about addiction and postpartum depression, including the difficulties she experienced after becoming a mother to daughter Kaya in 2014.
Panettiere had sought treatment for substance abuse and eventually transferred custody of Kaya to the child’s father, former heavyweight boxing champion Wladimir Klitschko, in 2018.
Klitschko publicly paid tribute to Panettiere after her death and said he would ensure their daughter would always remember her mother.
Panettiere’s death also came shortly after she had discussed her life and struggles publicly through her memoir, adding personal context to a career that had begun during childhood.
The coroner’s determination resolves the central question surrounding Panettiere’s cause and manner of death: the death was accidental and resulted from the toxic effects of the substances identified in the official findings. Earlier reports that relied on unconfirmed theories should not be treated as the final explanation.
Sources: Greenville County Coroner’s Office; Associated Press; NBC News; CBS News; ABC News.
