Hayden Panettiere died from a fentanyl overdose, according to the Greenville county coroner’s office.
Medical examiners in South Carolina confirmed the 36-year old actor’s cause of death on Tuesday, saying: “The cause of death has been ruled as toxic effects of fentanyl, 4-ANPP, Alprazolam, Methocarbamol and Quetiapine.”
They said there were “no signs of trauma” and “the manner of death has been ruled accident”.
The Greenville police department separately said no foul play was suspected, telling Variety: “The preliminary investigation has not indicated any signs of foul play or suspicious circumstances.”
“An acquaintance of Ms Panettiere placed the 911 call,” the police department said.
Panettiere was in her South Carolina apartment with her boyfriend Brian Hickerson and his brother Zach Hickerson when she died on 16 August.
A police report at the time stated that a Greenville police officer observed paramedics performing CPR on an unresponsive woman. It said: “The patient did not seem to have any obvious physical reasons to be unresponsive.
“I observed Zach to be very emotional while EMS were working on Hayden. Brian did not become emotional until EMS declared her officially deceased.”
Following Panettiere’s death, her father, Skip Panettiere, released a statement, saying: “It is with profound sadness that we share the tragic passing of our beloved Hayden. She was an incredible light and a force of nature who brought immeasurable love and joy to all who knew her – and to the millions who watched her onscreen.”
Panettiere, known for her roles in television series including Heroes and Nashville, began acting at just 11 months old. She earned two Golden Globe nominations for her portrayal of country singer Juliette Barnes on the ABC series Nashville.
Her other projects included Scream 4 in 2011 and Scream VI in 2023.
In 2014, Panettiere had a daughter, Kaya, with her former fiance, Ukrainian boxer Wladimir Klitschko. In 2018, she gave Klitschko full custody while focusing on her recovery from depression, anxiety and substance abuse.
Speaking to People magazine in 2022, Panettiere said: “This hasn’t been easy and there were a lot of ups and downs … But I don’t regret even the ugliest things that have happened to me. I feel incredibly accomplished. And I feel like I have a second chance.”
In an interview with podcast host Jay Shetty in May, Panettiere spoke about her relationship with her daughter, saying: “I will always want her here. I always miss her … I always want to have my arms wrapped around her, but that’s just not the way life is right at this moment … I have faith that she is going to come to me and that we’re going to have an incredible relationship and bond and friendship that a lot of parents don’t get to have with their kids.”
That same month, Panettiere released a memoir titled This Is Me: A Reckoning, in which she detailed her struggled with fame, postpartum depression, addiction and recovery.
