Hayden Panettiere died from fentanyl, other drugs

Greenville County Coroner’s Office ruled the Heroes star's death accidental.

By Drew Gillis  |  September 22, 2026 | 11:34am
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
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Hayden Panettiere died from fentanyl, other drugs

Hayden Panettiere died from the effects of fentanyl, alprazolam, methocarbamol, and quetiapine, the Greenville County Coroner’s Office announced this morning, according to The New York Times. The death of the 36-year-old actor, known for her roles in Heroes and Nashville, has been ruled accidental. There were no signs of physical trauma to contribute to the death. 

Alprazolam is the drug known as Xanax, which is used to treat anxiety. Methocarbamol is a muscle relaxant known as Robaxin. Quetiapine is an antipsychotic used to treat schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and depression and is known as Seroquel. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that, per the Times, was responsible for a third of deaths of adults between ages 25 to 34 as of 2022. 

Panettiere was found unresponsive and in cardiac arrest in her home in Greenville, South Carolina, on August 16. Attempts to resuscitate her were unsuccessful and she was pronounced dead that afternoon. The Times reports that Panettiere was with her on-again, off-again boyfriend Brian Hickerson at the time of her death; in 2021, he pleaded no contest to two felony counts of injuring Panettiere. 

 
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