Hayden Panettiere was found dead at her home in South Carolina on August 16, at age 36. The autopsy results have now come in, with the medical examiner telling Variety: "The cause of death was ruled toxic effects of fentanyl, 4-ANPP, alprazolam, methocarbamol and quetiapine." The report also noted "no evidence of trauma" on the body, and the manner of death was ruled accidental. Police had earlier confirmed there was "no evidence of foul play or suspicious circumstances" at the scene.
In the obituary, Panettiere's father Skip described his daughter as "an incredible light, a force of nature who brought endless love and joy to everyone who knew her." Oscar-winning actress Viola Davis, who worked with Panettiere on the 2016 film "Custody," paid tribute on Instagram, calling her "amazing talent" and "so gifted."
Panettiere's acting career began at age 4, when she appeared on the soap opera "One Life to Live." The role that made her a household name came in 2006, playing the superpowered cheerleader on "Heroes," a role she played for four seasons. She later starred as Juliette Barnes on "Nashville" for six seasons (2012 to 2018), and also played Kirby Reed in "Scream 4" (2011) and "Scream VI" (2023). Her other credits include "Guiding Light," "Malcolm in the Middle," "The Object of My Affection," "A Bug's Life," "Message in a Bottle," and "Remember the Titans."
Earlier this year, Panettiere published her memoir "This Is Me: A Reckoning," in which she opened up about her experiences with postpartum depression, addiction, and recovery, and publicly came out as bisexual. She described being caught in "a terrifying cycle of depression, anxiety, alcoholism and drug abuse for years," saying she was "just trying to find my way back, out of the darkness."
She was previously in a relationship with Ukrainian heavyweight boxing champion Wladimir Klitschko, with whom she had a daughter, Kaya, born in 2014. Her brother, actor Jansen Panettiere, passed away in February 2023 from complications of an aortic valve condition, at age 28.
