GREENVILLE, S.C., Sep 22 – Actress Hayden Panettiere died last month from an accidental overdose involving fentanyl and several other drugs, according to findings released by the Greenville County Coroner’s Office on Tuesday. The 36-year-old actor had also been in rehabilitation only weeks before her death, according to a report obtained by the Associated Press.
Panettiere was found unresponsive on Aug. 16 inside an apartment in Greenville, South Carolina. Her death brought renewed attention to the long-running personal struggles she had discussed publicly, including addiction, anxiety and depression, even as she continued working in television and film.
The Greenville County Coroner’s Office said toxicology testing detected fentanyl and a chemical byproduct of the drug, along with alprazolam, a medication commonly used to treat anxiety, a muscle relaxant and another medication used in the treatment of major depression and other serious psychiatric conditions. The combination was determined to have contributed to her death.
The Associated Press reported that Panettiere had been in rehabilitation shortly before she died. Her family’s publicist, Kasey Kitchen, cautioned that the circumstances surrounding the death remain under investigation, saying the case is complex.
Investigators found suspected drugs inside the apartment
Details from the death investigation provide a clearer picture of the circumstances surrounding Panettiere’s final hours.
According to the report reviewed by the Associated Press, a senior deputy coroner who went to the apartment found blue pressed pills and a straw on a table. The pills and the straw were later found to have tested positive for fentanyl. Investigators also found a white powdery substance inside a sunglasses case in Panettiere’s suitcase.
The apartment was being used as an Airbnb, according to the report.
Panettiere was not alone when she died. Her on-and-off boyfriend, Brian Hickerson, and his brother, Zach Hickerson, were at the apartment, according to police information cited by the Associated Press. Names in portions of the coroner’s investigative report were redacted, but police have identified the two men as the people who were with Panettiere.
One of the men told investigators that he had seen Panettiere putting on makeup at about 10:30 a.m. on the day she died. He later went back to sleep.
When he woke up, he encountered Panettiere in a sitting position on a sofa bed. She was face down, with her legs crossed. The man told investigators that the position itself did not immediately appear unusual to him, but he realized something was seriously wrong when he could not wake her and noticed a change in her skin color.
He administered two doses of Narcan, the medication used to reverse opioid overdoses, before calling 911 when she did not respond.
Emergency medical personnel then arrived and attempted to revive Panettiere. According to Greenville County Coroner Mike Ellis, paramedics performed CPR and other advanced resuscitation procedures for more than 40 minutes before she was pronounced dead.
The autopsy did not find evidence of physical trauma that could have caused or contributed to her death, Ellis said.
The investigation has not been closed. Greenville Police confirmed Tuesday that officers are continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding Panettiere’s death.
Kitchen, speaking on behalf of Panettiere’s family, told the Associated Press that the investigation remains ongoing and described the case as complex.
The coroner’s findings establish the drugs detected in Panettiere’s system, but investigators are continuing to examine the circumstances that preceded her death.
A life shaped by early fame and personal struggles
Panettiere became a familiar face to television audiences at a young age. She appeared in commercials and daytime television before gaining wider recognition for her role as Lizzie Spaulding on the soap opera “Guiding Light.”
Her career later expanded into prime-time television, with major roles in the science-fiction drama “Heroes” and the country music series “Nashville.” Those performances established her as one of the better-known young actors of her generation.
Behind that success, however, Panettiere spent years speaking openly about difficulties that followed her early rise to fame.
In her memoir, “This Is Me,” released in May, she wrote about the lasting effects of becoming famous as a child. She also discussed her struggles with alcohol addiction and postpartum depression following the birth of her daughter, Kaya, in 2014. Kaya is Panettiere’s daughter with Ukrainian former professional boxer Wladimir Klitschko.
Panettiere had previously entered rehabilitation while working on “Nashville.” She spoke about that experience in a 2023 interview with Women’s Health magazine, recalling that she had made the decision to seek treatment herself because she felt overwhelmed by her circumstances.
Her personal life also included significant family losses. Her younger brother, Jansen Panettiere, who followed her into acting, died in 2023 at the age of 28 from a heart condition.
Panettiere also publicly discussed her relationship with Hickerson and allegations that he had physically abused her.
Hickerson was arrested and charged in 2020 in connection with multiple allegations of felony abuse. He later pleaded no contest to two counts involving injury to a spouse or partner. He served a period of time in jail and was sentenced to four years of probation, along with anger management and Alcoholics Anonymous requirements.
He completed those requirements and later sought to have the convictions reduced to misdemeanors. A judge rejected that request, according to the Associated Press.
Panettiere’s final years brought renewed attention to recovery
Panettiere’s struggles with substance use were not new to the public. In 2015, she acknowledged that she had been caught in a cycle in which she used alcohol and drugs while attempting to cope with depression and anxiety.
She also sought treatment more than once during her career, including during the production of “Nashville.” Her decision to enter rehabilitation again shortly before her death adds another difficult chapter to a long public history of attempts to recover from addiction.
The circumstances of her death have also brought attention to the unpredictable danger of fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid that can be present in illicit drugs without a person knowing the substance contains it. In Panettiere’s case, the Greenville County Coroner’s Office identified fentanyl and its chemical byproduct among the substances in her system.
The investigation report also indicates that Panettiere had plans for the days ahead. Her father told the deputy coroner that she intended to remain in Greenville for her birthday, which was five days after her death, before traveling to Ukraine to visit her daughter.
Instead, those plans ended with her death at 36.
Panettiere’s career had taken her from child performer to television star, but her public story in later years increasingly included discussions about addiction, recovery, family loss and the pressures that accompanied fame from an early age.
The Associated Press reported the latest findings from the Greenville County Coroner’s Office on Tuesday, as Greenville police continued their investigation. The coroner’s determination that the overdose was accidental provides the current official finding on the manner of death, while the broader investigation into the circumstances surrounding her final hours remains ongoing.