Hayden Panettiere's cause of death revealed

'Nashville' and 'Heroes' star Hayden Panettiere's death ruled an accident

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Amanda Goh

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Jason Guerrasio

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Actor Hayden Panettiere died of the toxic effects of fentanyl and other drugs, the Greenville County Coroner's Office said in a statement Tuesday.

The actor, who died on August 16 at 36, had fentanyl, 4-ANPP, alprazolam, methocarbamol, and quetiapine in her system. The coroner's office said there were no signs of trauma and ruled the death an accident.

"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," her father, Skip Panettiere, said in a statement in August.

"We ask for privacy as our family takes time to process this unimaginable loss," the statement added.

At approximately 1:51 pm on August 16, a 911 call was received regarding a cardiac arrest at Judson Mill Lofts, an apartment complex in Greenville, South Carolina, the Greenville County Coroner's Office told Business Insider.

According to the coroner's office, first responders found Panettiere in cardiac arrest when they got on the scene. Resuscitation efforts were unsuccessful, and she was pronounced dead at 2:32 pm.

Hayden Panettiere's life and legacy

Panettiere began her acting career as a child, with one of her earliest major roles as Sarah Roberts on the ABC soap opera "One Life to Live," on which she appeared from 1994 to 1997.

She later became widely known for playing Claire Bennet in the hit series "Heroes" and Juliette Barnes in the musical drama "Nashville."

In her memoir, released on May 19, Panettiere wrote about her struggles with postpartum depression after giving birth to her daughter in 2014.

"It wasn't panic that was sitting in my chest. It was nothing. A total blackout of emotion, like my soul was dead," she wrote.

To deal with her symptoms, she turned to alcohol to get "those happy hormones," she wrote.

"The first thing I'd thought of when I woke up was alcohol. Not my child, not my job, and not the rest of my life. I needed a drink to function — at 6 a.m.," Panettiere wrote.

In 2018, Panettiere signed over full custody of her daughter to the child's father, Wladimir Klitschko, saying she believed it was best for her daughter.

During this period of personal struggles, Panettiere was also filming "Nashville," which she starred in from 2012 to 2018.

In a May appearance on Jay Shetty's "On Purpose" podcast, she said her character's storylines increasingly mirrored what she was experiencing in her own life.

"It felt like it never ended. I didn't know where Juliet began, and Hayden ended," she told Shetty.

Panettiere said she initially thought the parallels were a "coincidence," but eventually felt she was living through her experiences twice.

"I couldn't come up for air from it. There was no break from it," she said.

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Amanda Goh

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Amanda is a senior lifestyle reporter at Business Insider's Singapore bureau.Her reporting explores how people navigate major life transitions, including career changes, relocation, and retirement, with a particular focus on the experiences of those living in Asia. She also writes about travel, culture, wellness, and relationships.In 2025, she won the Singapore Press Club's Rising Stars Young Digital Journalist Award.She previously worked as a writer and video producer at a content marketing agency in Singapore. She graduated from the University at Buffalo with a BA (Hons) in Sociology.

Jason Guerrasio

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Jason Guerrasio is an award-winning entertainment correspondent at Business Insider and has covered various aspects of the film industry for over two decades. On the site, his reporting can range from what's going on behind the scenes at some of the biggest companies in Hollywood, colorful interviews with some of the most well-known names in entertainment, and exploring the darker side of the industry.In 2020, Jason received the New York Press Club award and Los Angeles Press Club award for his story on the rise and fall of MoviePass. It has since been made into the Emmy-nominated HBO documentary "MoviePass, MovieCrash."Previous to BI, Jason was the managing editor at Filmmaker Magazine, one of the leading publications in the independent film industry. He's also written for numerous publications over the years, including Vanity Fair, Esquire, Rolling Stone, Vulture, Variety, and indieWire.Popular ArticlesMary Carole McDonnell built a true-crime empire. Then the FBI came for her. Growing up Marvel: The tormented life of Stan Lee's child, JC LeeA bullet. A legend. A lie. Bufford Pusser killed his wife, authorities say. What happens to his legacy now?

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• Death