Coroner releases Hayden Panettiere’s cause of death

The Associated Press September 22, 2026 - 7:57 am GREENVILLE, S.C. — Actor Hayden Panettiere died from an accidental overdose that included fentanyl, according to the South Carolina coroner who spoke on Tuesday. Panettiere, 36, was found unresponsive in a Greenville apartment on August 16. Her on‑and‑off partner Brian Hickerson and his brother Zach Hickerson were present at the residence. A release from the Greenville County Coroner’s Office stated that a mixture of fentanyl, its chemical metabolite, the anti‑anxiety drug alprazolam, a muscle relaxant, and a medication used to treat major depressive disorder and other serious mental‑health conditions were detected in her system. The office did not release additional details from the autopsy of the former child star. When asked for comment on the coroner’s report, Kasey Kitchen, a publicist for the family, told The Associated Press, “the probe is inactive ongoing and the lawsuit is complex.” Greenville Police confirmed that their investigation into Panettiere’s death remains ongoing. Paramedics responded to a 911 call at her apartment and performed more than 40 minutes of CPR and other resuscitative measures before she was pronounced dead. Greenville County Coroner Mike Ellis said in a statement that no signs of trauma that could have contributed to her death were found during the autopsy. The police report issued after her death noted that a list of medications Panettiere was taking had been compiled, but the specific drug names were redacted.