Hayden Panettiere, the former child actress who starred in TV shows “Heroes” and “Nashville,” died of an accidental fentanyl overdose, according to a South Carolina coroner’s office.
In a statement, the Greenville County Coroner’s Office said that Panettiere’s death at age 36 was the result of the “toxic effects of fentanyl, 4-ANPP, Alprazolam, Methocarbamol, and Quetiapine.”
While Panettiere started auditioning for roles when she was 11 months old, she is best known for her performance as Claire Bennet, a Texas cheerleader with supernatural powers on NBC’s “Heroes,” which started in 2006.
In her memoir, “This Is Me: A Reckoning,” which came out in May, and subsequent press tour interviews, Panettiere spoke about her struggles with postpartum depression, body dysmorphia, drugs and alcohol. Juliette Barnes, the character that Panettiere played on “Nashville,” was eventually modeled on her real-life struggles.
“It felt like it never ended,” she said on Jay Shetty’s “On Purpose” podcast in May. “I didn’t know where Juliette began and Hayden ended.”
On Aug. 16, emergency medical services responded to a 911 call reporting a cardiac arrest in Greenville, where they found Panettiere unresponsive. She was pronounced dead at 2:32 p.m. after lifesaving measures were attempted.
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