Hayden Panettiere’s Cause of Death Revealed: Toxic Effects of Fentanyl + Other Drugs

Hayden Panettiere died of toxic effects of fentayl in combination with several other prescription drugs, according to a statement from the Greenville County Coroner's Office.

Toxicology results confirmed her cause of death.

In addition to fentanyl, the report names Alprazolam (a benzodiazepine sold under the name Xanax), Methocarbamol (a muscle relaxant sold under the name Robaxin) and Quetiapine (an antipsychotic medication which is prescribed under the name Seroquel to treat schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or major depressive disorder.)

The statement from the Coroner's Office ruled Panettiere's manner of death as an accident. It also confirmed the previously-reported statement that an autopsy found no signs of trauma that would have contributed to her death.

Hayden Panettiere Died Of a Drug Overdose

Before toxicology results officially confirmed her cause of death, reports were already suggesting that authorities were investigating Panettiere's death as an overdose.

TMZ reported earlier this month that law enforcement officers were working on a theory that Panettiere's "long time drug dealer" allegedly sold her black market prescription drugs.

Read More: Report: Hayden Panettiere Investigators Believe She Died From One Fentanyl-Laced Pill

Investigators reportedly believed that the actor's death could have been caused by a single pill, taken the morning that she died, laced with lethal levels of fentanyl.

Officials from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) reportedly met with Panettiere's on-again, off-again boyfriend Brian Hickerson, who is not named as a suspect, in their attempts to determine what happened before her sudden death.

Read More: Hayden Panettiere's Final Hours Before Death

One source claimed that authorities were "zeroing in on a potential drug dealer" who could have sold Panettiere the pill or pills that killed her.

How Did Hayden Panettiere Die?

Hayden Panettiere died on Aug. 16, 2016, days before her 37th birthday.

• Panettiere was in South Carolina with Brian Hickerson and his brother Zach at the time of her death.
• First responders arrived to the residence after receiving a call about an unresponsive person in cardiac arrest.
• The Hickerson brothers administered CPR and gave her Narcan after finding her unconscious.
• Despite those efforts and advanced resuscitation efforts provided by first responders, Panettiere could not be revived, and she was pronounced dead at the scene.

A film and television star who began her career in the industry as a child, Panettiere was known for her roles in Nashville, Heroes, the Scream films and more.

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She was open about the struggles with addiction she faced during her lifetime. After giving birth to her daughter in 2014, the star fought a difficult battle with postpartum depression, and turned to alcohol to cope. She sought treatment for addiction and ceded custody of her daughter to ex-fiancé Wladimire Klitschko.

Panettiere wrote about those struggles in her 2026 memoir This is Me: A Reckoning, and she also spoke about them in several interviews.