Hayden Panettiere died from accidental overdose involving fentanyl, coroner says

Actor Hayden Panettiere died from an accidental overdose of several drugs, including fentanyl, a coroner in South Carolina said Tuesday.Panettiere, 36, was found unresponsive in an apartment in Greenville, South Carolina, on Aug. Her on-and-off boyfriend Brian Hickerson and his brother Zach Hickerson were at the home.According to a statement from the Greenville County Coroner’s Office, a combination of fentanyl and its chemical byproduct, as well as the anti-anxiety medication alprazolam, a muscle relaxer and a drug used to treat major depression and other serious mental health disorders, was found in Panettiere's system.The office did not include further details from the autopsy report in its initial release.Asked for comment on the coroner's report, Kasey Kitchen, a publicist for the family, told The Associated Press that “the investigation is still ongoing and the case is complex."Greenville Police confirmed Tuesday that their investigation into Panettiere's death is continuing.Paramedics responded to Panettiere's apartment last month after a 911 call and performed CPR and other advanced resuscitation efforts for more than 40 minutes before she was declared dead. An autopsy found no signs of trauma that could have contributed to her death, Greenville County Coroner Mike Ellis said in a statement.The police report released after her death listed medications Panettiere was taking, but the drug names were redacted.Panettiere’s early fame brought success and strugglePanettiere soared to fame in the TV shows “Heroes” and “Nashville.” In her memoir “This Is Me,” released in May, Panettiere described lifelong scars from her early fame and acknowledged being addicted to alcohol and enduring postpartum depression after the birth of her daughter, Kaya, with Ukrainian boxer Wladimir Klitschko in 2014.She also endured family struggles and tragedy.

Her parents’ marriage was strained and eventually ended. Her younger brother, Jansen Panettiere, who was also an actor, died of a heart condition in 2023, at age 28.Panettiere also talked about her long relationship with Brian Hickerson and allegations that the aspiring actor physically abused her.He was charged in 2020 with multiple counts of felony abuse, and he pleaded no contest to two counts of injuring a spouse or partner and served a short time in jail due to the case. He was sentenced to four years of probation…

The 36-year-old actor died from an overdose of several drugs including fentanyl, a coroner in South Carolina has determined. An autopsy by the Greenville County Coroner's Office determined Hayden Panettiere's death was accidental.