Medical examiners have completed their investigation into Hayden Panettiere‘s death.
Over one month after theNashville star was found unresponsive at a South Carolina home, the Greenville County Coroner’s Office ruled that she died as a result of drugs in her system at age 36 on Aug. 16.
“The cause of death has been ruled as toxic effects of fentanyl, 4-ANPP, Alprazolam, Methocarbamol, and Quetiapine,” read a release from the Greenville County Coroner’s Office shared with E! News on Sept. 22. “The manner of death has been ruled accident.”
It also noted, “At autopsy no signs of trauma were discovered that would have contributed to the death.” An investigation is underway after Hayden was found unresponsive by her ex Brian Hickersonand his brother Zach Hickersonwho were present in the apartment.
Prior to her death, Panettiere was open about her struggles with addiction, including how it was exacerbated when she experienced postpartum depression following the 2014 birth of her and ex Wladimir Klitschko‘s daughter Kaya.
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She detailed her issues with opioids and alcohol in her 2026 memoir This Is Me: A Reckoning, writing that a doctor had warned her, “If I didn’t stop drinking, I’d be dead in five years.”
Greenville authorities received a call about an unresponsive woman—later identified as Panettiere—at an apartment complex around 1:51 p.m. on Aug. 16, according to a previous press release from the coroner’s office. Upon arrival to the residence, which officials said Panettiere was staying at temporarily, first responders determined that the Heroes actress had suffered cardiac arrest and began “life support measures.”
An officer called to the scene described the incident as an “overdose” in a police dispatch audio obtained by People and TMZ.
“However, resuscitation efforts were unsuccessful,” the coroner’s office said in their press release, noting that Panettiere pronounced dead at the scene around 2:32 p.m. “At autopsy, no signs of trauma were discovered that would have contributed to the death.”
Panettiere’s dad Alan “Skip” Panettiereconfirmed her passing on Aug. 16, telling People in a statement, “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.”
The Bring It On: All or Nothing alum’s death came three years after her family weathered another tragedy in the death of her 28-year-old brother Jansen Panettiere, who she said experimented with drugs before he passed away from heart complications.
“You’re just riddled with guilt that you didn’t do your job, and especially what took him was something that I, of all people, should have understood,” she told E! News in May 2023. “I miss him all the time.”
However, Panettiere noted at the time that she tried “not to get too wrapped up” in her grief.
“Because your brain starts playing tricks on you,” she explained, “and then everything becomes a sign, and you’re like, ‘Now I’m just making things up to make myself feel better.’”
Panettiere added, “I didn’t think I would have to do life without him, but I’m grateful that I had the time I had with him.”
For more insight into the actress’ death, read on.
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images
“Hayden’s death remains under investigation and it is important to allow that investigation to proceed,” Ellis told E! News Aug. 20. “As has been publicly reported, police confirmed there were no signs of foul play. Out of respect for Hayden’s loved ones and the ongoing investigation, there will be no further comment at this time.”And while police told People officers “responded to a call for a welfare check at a home belonging to Brian Hickerson’s family” on Aug. 19, they noted “the call is unrelated to the Hayden Panettiere death investigation and did not require an incident report.”
“This person in her life that we have been trying to get rid of for quite some time was with her at her death,” she told NBC News Aug. 18, “and that was Brian Hickerson.”
While Panettiere—whose brother Jansen died in 2023 at age 28—and her mom had publicly spoken about their estrangement, Vogel remembered her daughter as “an amazingly talented person in so many departments.””I think young people who grow up in the <a href="https://comicvibe.com/podium-entertainment-acquired-by-private-equity-firms/” title=”Podium Entertainment Acquired by Private Equity Firms”>entertainment industry—it is a struggle and it’s a very challenging industry,” she added, “and it’s not unusual for them to sadly find the wrong path.”Additionally, her ex Wladimir Klitschko addressed his “profound shock and grief” he and their daughter Kaya were facing in the wake of Panettiere’s death. The Ukranian boxer further vowed to keep the Nashville alum’s legacy alive in Kaya’s memory.
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