Hayden Panettiere's Drug Overdose Death Ruled Accidental as South Carolina Police Close Investigation
The investigation into Hayden Panettiere's death has now been closed.
Oct. 28 2026, Published 4:44 p.m. ET
Hayden Panettiere's tragic death at the age of 36 from a drug overdose has officially been ruled to be accidental, Breaking Celebrity News can reveal.
The former Heroes star died in a Greenville, South Carolina, apartment on August 16 after taking a toxic mix of fentanyl and other drugs.
Hayden Panettiere's Death Was Ruled Accidental
Hayden Panettiere's cause of death was previously determined to be a drug overdose.
"Based on the Medical Examiner’s determination and the findings of the investigation, Hayden Panettiere’s death has been ruled accidental," the Greenville Police Department said in a statement released on Wednesday, October 28.
With that ruling, the department noted the investigation into the star's death has been officially closed.
A toxicology report previously revealed Pantettiere died from a deadly cocktail of drugs, with the fatal combination including fentanyl, 4-ANPP, alprazolam, methocarbamol, and quetiapine.
An autopsy found no evidence of physical trauma that contributed to her death.
Desperate Attempts Were Made to Save Hayden Panettiere's Life
Hayden Panettiere was with her boyfriend, Brian Hickerson, at the time of her death.
Pantierre and her longtime boyfriend, Brian Hickerson, flew to his home state on August 15, just days ahead of celebrating her 37th birthday.
Paramedics raced to a Greenville apartment complex where the pair had been staying after Hickerson's brother, Zach, reportedly arrived to find them napping. While Brian was awakened, Zach made a frantic 911 call, prompting emergency responders to rush to the scene following reports of an "unresponsive female" in "cardiac arrest."
A desperate Zach was heard saying, "I walked in after church to my brother and his girlfriend's apartment," while crying, "Oh no, oh no."
As the desperate attempts to save the actress' life unfolded, a 911 dispatcher walked Zach through rescue breaths and CPR while emergency crews rushed to the scene. He desperately urged the operator to speed up the potentially lifesaving instructions, explaining that he already knew the basics of CPR.
Panettiere was pronounced dead after paramedics arrived.
Hayden Panettiere Warned She'd Be 'Dead in 5 Years'
Hayden Panettiere had been open about her battles with drugs and alcohol
Panettiere had been open about her struggles with drugs and alcohol, which she said started when she was starring on Heroes as a teenager and was given a "happy pill" before a red carpet event after she appeared to be lacking energy.
“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,” she revealed in a 2022 interview. “As I got older, the drugs and alcohol became something I almost couldn’t live without.”
Panettiere eventually spent eight months in treatment in 2020 after a doctor told her "if I didn’t stop drinking, I’d be dead within five years."
Hayden Panettiere Wrote About Opioid Abuse in 2026 Memoir
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Hayden Panettiere's memoir was published just three months before her death.
In her memoir released in May, Panettiere wrote about her battle with opioids.
"I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: addicts aren’t patient. When we’re shaking, nauseated, anxious, lonely, or depressed, we need instant relief that sends us into that pain-free place called denial," she described in This Is Me: A Reckoning.
She recalled how going to rehab put her into a better place, sharing: "Two weeks in, I started to feel calm. I liked myself. What a revelation."
