Hayden Panettiere died from accidental overdose involving fentanyl, coroner confirms

Actor Hayden Panettiere died from an accidental overdose of several drugs, including fentanyl, according to a coroner in South Carolina. Panettiere, 36, was found unresponsive in an apartment in Greenville, South Carolina, on August 16. Her on-and-off boyfriend Brian Hickerson and his brother Zach Hickerson were present at the home at the time. The Greenville County Coroner's Office stated that 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 provide further details from the autopsy report in its initial release. Kasey Kitchen, a publicist for the family, commented on the coroner's report, stating that "the investigation is still ongoing and the case is complex." Greenville Police confirmed that their investigation into Panettiere's death is continuing. Paramedics responded to Panettiere's apartment following 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, according to Greenville County Coroner Mike Ellis. The police report released after her death listed medications Panettiere was taking, but the names of the drugs were redacted. Panettiere gained fame through her roles in the TV shows "Heroes" and "Nashville." In her memoir "This Is Me," released in May, she described lifelong struggles stemming from her early fame, including addiction to alcohol and postpartum depression following the birth of her daughter, Kaya, with Ukrainian boxer Wladimir Klitschko in 2014. She also faced family challenges, including her parents' strained marriage and the death of her younger brother, Jansen Panettiere, who passed away from a heart condition in 2023 at the age of 28. Panettiere discussed her tumultuous relationship with Brian Hickerson, who faced multiple felony abuse charges in 2020. He pleaded no contest to two counts of injuring a spouse or partner and served a brief jail sentence, followed by four years of probation and mandated anger management and Alcoholics Anonymous sessions. Hickerson completed these terms and recently requested a judge to reduce his conviction to misdemeanors, which was denied. Panettiere was born to Skip Panettiere, a former New York City fire captain, and Lesley Vogel, a former soap opera star. She began her career in commercials and soap operas, including a role as Lizzie Spaulding on "Guiding Light." In her memoir, she noted that the traumas her character faced led her to associate "catastrophe with adoration." She gained fame in 2006 as a cheerleader with supernatural powers in "Heroes." By 2015, she starred as a country singer in "Nashville," which aired on ABC for four seasons before being canceled and later revived on CMT. She performed her own songs on the show, which achieved success on country charts and earned her two supporting actress Golden Globe nominations. However, Panettiere acknowledged her struggles with alcohol and drug use to cope with depression and anxiety, stating that she needed to find a way out of the darkness. She entered rehab while filming "Nashville." In a 2023 interview with Women's Health magazine, she said, "I was the one who put myself in the first treatment center. I was drowning."