Hayden Panettiere Died From Accidental Overdose

September 22, 2026 3:30 pm

(AP) — A coroner has determined that actor Hayden Panettiere died from an accidental overdose of several drugs including fentanyl. The 36-year-old Panettiere was found unresponsive in an apartment in Greenville, South Carolina, on Aug 16. Her on-and-off boyfriend Brian Hickerson and his brother Zach Hickerson were at the home. According to a statement from the Greenville County Coroner’s Office, a combination of fentanyl and its chemical byproduct, as well as the anti-anxiety medication alprazolam, was found in Panettiere’s system. The office did not release further details from the autopsy report of the onetime child star.