Hayden Panettiere’s explanation for demise revealed

Published On: September 22, 2026

Up to date Sept. 22, 2026, 7:09 p.m. ET

Hayden Panettiere‘s official explanation for demise has been launched.

Greater than a month after the actress, finest recognized for her profession roles on “Heroes” and “Nashville,” died at 36, the Greenville County Coroner’s Workplace has dominated her explanation for demise because the “poisonous results of fentanyl, 4-ANPP, Alprazolam, Methocarbamol and Quetiapine.”

The “method of demise has been dominated accident,” and no indicators of trauma had been found that will have contributed to Panettiere’s demise.

Fentanyl is a artificial opioid drug that’s used to alleviate ache and is round 100 instances stronger than morphine and 50 instances stronger than heroin as an anesthetic, in line with the DEA.

Alprazolam, additionally recognized underneath the model identify Xanax, is used to deal with nervousness, whereas Methocarbamol is used to deal with “the discomfort brought on by acute (short-term), painful muscle or bone circumstances,” in line with the Mayo Clinic, and Quetiapine treats schizophrenia, bipolar dysfunction and melancholy.

Panettiere’s consultant confirmed her demise to USA TODAY on Sunday, Aug. 16, together with an announcement on behalf of her father, Skip Panettiere.

“It’s with profound disappointment that we share the tragic passing of our beloved Hayden. She was an unimaginable mild and a drive of nature who introduced immeasurable love and pleasure to all who knew her – and to the thousands and thousands who watched her onscreen,” Skip Panettiere stated.

“We ask for privateness as our household takes time to course of this unimaginable loss,” the assertion concluded.

Panettiere was reportedly in rehab previous to demise

In accordance with a full coroner’s report obtained by The Related Press, Panettiere was allegedly in a rehabilitation facility weeks earlier than her demise.

The 2 males – beforehand recognized in a police report as her boyfriend, Brian Hickerson, and his brother, Zach Hickerson – who spoke with a senior deputy coroner on the scene stated they administered two doses of Narcan and referred to as 911 when the actress remained unresponsive.

In an interview with TMZ revealed Aug. 21, Zach Hickerson stated that after he and his brother discovered Panettiere unconscious, Brian Hickerson administered Narcan whereas Zach Hickerson referred to as 911. The brothers “collectively carried out CPR whereas 911 was on speaker till Hearth and EMS arrived,” he stated, including, “At that time we watched as they tried each measure doable to avoid wasting her life.”

Panettiere’s father, who was contacted throughout the investigation, stated she was planning to spend her birthday on Aug. 21 in Greenville earlier than touring to Ukraine to go to her daughter, Kaya, in line with the coroner’s report.

Panettiere died after she was present in cardiac arrest

On Aug. 16, at about 1:51 p.m., regulation enforcement and emergency medical personnel responded to a name of an unresponsive girl at an condo advanced in Greenville, South Carolina, police confirmed to USA TODAY on Aug. 17.

Greenville County Coroner Mike Ellis confirmed in an Aug. 17 assertion that first responders discovered Panettiere in cardiac arrest. Emergency personnel administered “superior cardiac life help measures,” however they had been unsuccessful and Panettiere was pronounced lifeless, Ellis stated.

In 911 dispatch audio obtained by TMZ, authorities might be heard referencing a doable overdose and cardiac arrest after they arrived on the scene.

Hayden Panettiere’s motion pictures, TV exhibits formed a era

Panettiere’s prolific profession in TV and movie started in commercials as a child. She went onto seem in cleaning soap opera “One Life to Dwell” starting at age 5 from 1994 to 1997, in addition to “Guiding Gentle” from 1996 to 2000, “Keep in mind the Titans” in 2000 and “Ally McBeal” in 2002.

She additionally appeared within the crime procedural “Legislation and Order: Particular Victims Unit” and the animated movie “A Bug’s Life” in her earlier years. Touchdown roles in Disney’s “Tiger Cruise” in 2004, “Ice Princess” in 2005 and “Carry It On: All or Nothing” in 2006 put Panettiere within the highlight.

The “This Is Me: A Reckoning” writer then landed her massive breakout function in NBC’s “Heroes.” She starred within the collection as cheerleader Claire Bennet starting in 2006 till the present resulted in 2010.

She additionally starred in additional than 100 episodes of “Nashville” as country-pop singer Juliette Barnes. The fan-favorite drama ran from 2012 till 2018.

Different main initiatives included enjoying Kirby Reed within the “Scream” slasher movie franchise – she appeared in 2011’s “Scream 4” and 2023’s “Scream VI.”

Hayden Panettiere beforehand opened up about habit

Previous to her demise, Panettiere was vocal about her troubles with habit and the impression of childhood stardom on her life. She opened up concerning the struggled in her candid memoir launched earlier this yr, “This Is Me: A Reckoning.”

As a teen, Panettiere wrote that her staff gave her “blissful capsules” – which she believed to be an amphetamine – earlier than interviews and purple carpets to assist her focus. She stated this behavior would “ceaselessly change” her world.

“At 16, they had been the gateway drug that ushered me towards the nice of prescription drugs and the downfall of habit,” Panettiere wrote.

Whereas experiencing postpartum melancholy after welcoming daughter Kaya, now 11, together with her former fiancé Wladimir Klitschko, Panettiere wrote that she grew to become hooked on alcohol and Klonopin, a central nervous system depressant. At one level, she wrote that a physician instructed her she’d “be lifeless inside 5 years” if she didn’t cease consuming.

She was additionally open concerning the results of the demise of her brother from cardiomegaly (or an enlarged coronary heart), coupled with aortic valve problems, in 2023 when he was simply 28.

“He was my solely sibling, and it was my job to guard him,” Panettiere instructed Individuals in 2024. “After I misplaced him, I felt like I misplaced half of my soul.”

She later stated in her memoir that her brother was closely abusing medicine, together with crack and heroin, earlier than he died.

In current interviews concerning the e book, Panettiere additional revealed she was “groomed” to be a “little soldier” as a toddler actor.

“Grown-ups gave me constructive consideration when – as an actor – I failed, received sick, screamed and cried, killed, grieved, and suffered. Actuality merged with my creativeness and burrowed into my core reminiscences, the place all my disgrace and trauma lives,” Panettiere wrote in her memoir. “I’ve typically puzzled whether or not – unintentionally – I’ve introduced on my traumas as a result of I am wired to assume they’re good for me.”

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