Hayden Panettiere’s death has been ruled as accidental, police in South Carolina have confirmed.
Coroners in Greenville County, where Panettiere’s body was found on August 16, previously revealed that the popular actress passed away from the toxic effects of several substances: fentanyl, 4-ANPP, Alprazolam, Methocarbamol and Quetiapine.
Now, local law enforcers have concluded their investigation and confirmed that no foul play was involved. “Based on the Medical Examiner’s determination and the findings of the investigation, Hayden Panettiere’s death has been ruled accidental,” Greenville police said in a statement shared with NBC.
The actress, famous for her roles in Heroes, Nashville, and the Scream franchise, died in her South Carolina apartment on August 16, aged just 36. Her death was announced by her father Skip, who described her as “an incredible light and a force of nature who brought immeasurable love and joy to all who knew her”.
Tributes immediately poured in from the entertainment industry, with Oscar winner Viola Davis describing Panettiere, whom she worked with on the 2016 film Custody, as an “amazing talent” and “so gifted” in a tribute on Instagram.
Panettiere began her career as a child actor, and was just four years-old when she appeared on US soap opera One Life to Live.
Her breakout role came when she starred as a cheerleader with superpowers in Heroes, which ran for four seasons beginning in 2006. She went on to play country singer Juliette Barnes in Nashville from 2012-18, and also appeared as Kirby Reed in Scream 4 in 2011 and Scream VI in 2023.
Her other credits included Guiding Light, Malcolm in the Middle, The Object of My Affection, A Bug’s Life and Message in A Bottle.
Earlier this year, Panettiere released her memoir This Is Me: A Reckoning, in which she opened up about her experiences with postpartum depression, addiction and recovery and came out as bisexual.
She described herself as being in a “horrible cycle for years of battling depression and anxiety and alcoholism and substance abuse” while “just trying to find my way back, my way out of the darkness”.
She was previously in a relationship with Ukrainian champion heavyweight boxer Wladimir Klitschko, with whom she welcomed a daughter, daughter, Kaya, in 2014. Her younger brother, actor Jansen Panettiere, died in February 2023 of aortic valve complications at the age of 28.
The post Hayden Panettiere’s cause of death ruled as accidental appeared first on NME.
