Hayden Panettiere's cause of death has been confirmed by the South Carolina coroners office as an accidental drug overdose.
The US actress who was known for her roles in Heroes and Nashville died aged 36, in August 2026.
According to RTE, the coroner's office confirmed that the cause of death as an accidental drug overdose from fentanyl and an anti-anxiety medication, Alprazolam.
In a recent press statement, it was revealed that "the cause of death has been ruled as toxic effects of fentanyl, 4-ANPP, Alprazolam, Methocarbamol and Quetiapine. The manner of death has been ruled an accident."
No signs of trauma were found that could have contributed to the death of the actress.
Panettiere's death occurred not long after the actress opened up about her struggles with mental health.
In May, she released her memoir This Is Me: A Reckoning, in which she detailed her experiences with postpartum depression, addiction, recovery, trauma and domestic abuse.
In one of her final interviews she spoke about the future and how she felt as if she was out of one of the darkest periods of her life.
In the interview with Jay Shetty, she said: “I finally feel like I have shaken off all of this darkness and this negativity. I've closed one door and another door is opened … I can feel all the exciting possibilities. I feel like I have a lot more life to live.”
Panettiere got her start as a child actress in daytime soap operas before breaking out with key early roles, voicing Dot in Pixar’s A Bug’s Life (1998) and starring opposite Denzel Washington in the 2000 sports drama Remember the Titans.
She achieved widespread fame as cheerleader Claire Bennet in the hit sci-fi drama Heroes, followed by a six-season run as rising country star Juliette Barnes in Nashville.
On the big screen, her credits range from Bring It On: All or Nothing and Raising Helen to fan-favorite appearances as Kirby Reed in Scream 4 and Scream VI.
