Hayden Panettiere Death Investigation Officially Closed as Police Make Final Ruling

The sudden passing of Hollywood icon Hayden Panettiere has sent shockwaves through an industry already marked by heavy losses this year. Though her publicized struggles with substance abuse initially sparked controversy, the police have officially resolved the case and closed the investigation following a medical examiner’s report confirming her cause of death.

Emergency services responded to an incident involving an unresponsive female in an apartment in Greenville, South Carolina, last Aug. 16 at around 1:51 PM. “Medical assistance was administered; however, the individual, later identified as Hayden Panettiere, was pronounced deceased at the scene,” a police spokesperson later stated. Brian Hickerson, Panettiere’s on-again, off-again boyfriend, and his brother Zach placed the 911 call from her residence.

In September, the toxicology results revealed that she died from the toxic effects of a combination of drugs, including fentanyl and Xanax. There were no signs of trauma, according to the initial report. “Based on the (coroner’s office’s) determination and the findings of the investigation, Hayden Panettiere’s death has been ruled accidental,” the Greenville Police Department has now confirmed. She was 36.

Panettiere made her industry debut when she was about one year old, appearing in a Playskool toy train commercial in 1990. In 1994, she landed a recurring role as a child actor in One Life to Live, and then as part of Guiding Light‘s main ensemble from 1996 to 2000. She was prolific in TV and film throughout her career, with her run highlighted by starring roles in Ally McBeal, Malcolm in the Middle, Heroes, and Nashville. Addressing her personal ordeal years before her death, she revealed that she was first exposed to drugs at 15.

She was juggling a handful of projects at 15, including Malcolm in the Middle, Ice Princess, Racing Stripes, and Bring It On: All or Nothing. Speaking with People in 2022, she said her struggle started when someone from her team began to offer her “happy pills” before red carpet premieres. “They were to make me peppy during interviews,” she said. “I had no idea that this was not an appropriate thing, or what door that would open for me when it came to my addiction.”

Meanwhile, her career was flourishing. In 2006, she landed her career-defining role, the superpowered cheerleader Claire Bennet in Heroes, at 16. She marked another milestone as a lead in the musical drama Nashville, which ran from 2012 to 2018. She confirmed she remained a highly effective actor on the set, but things were increasingly getting out of control behind the scenes, which was compounded by postpartum depression following the birth of her daughter, Kaya, in 2014.

Her drinking worsened after Nashville ended, ultimately landing Panettiere in the hospital for jaundice. She eventually went into rehab and made progress, and her recent testimonies about her struggles served as an inspiration. Ultimately, her enduring legacy lies not in her tragic passing, but in her fierce love for Kaya and her courage to speak her truth in her memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning, which now offers hope to those fighting their own silent battles.