Hayden Panettiere’s Cause of Death Revealed

Hayden Panettiere's official cause of death has been revealed

The actress, known for her roles in Heroes and Remember the Titans, died at the age of 36 on Sunday, Aug. 16

Her father called her "an incredible light and a force of nature" in a statement confirming the news to PEOPLE

Hayden Panettiere 's official cause of death has been revealed.

The actress, known for her roles in Heroes , Remember the Titans and more, died at 36 on Sunday, Aug. 16 in South Carolina.

On Tuesday, Sept. 22, the Greenville County Coroner's office confirmed her death has been ruled as toxic effects of fentanyl, 4-ANPP, Alprazolam, Methocarbamol and Quetiapine. The manner of death has been ruled an accident.

"On August 16, 2026, at approximately 1:51 PM, a 911 call was received regarding a reported cardiac arrest at 701 Easley Bridge Road in Greenville. First responders and Emergency Medical Services arrived on scene and located a female in cardiac arrest. EMS personnel initiated advanced cardiac life support measures; however, resuscitation efforts were unsuccessful, and the individual was pronounced deceased at 2:32 PM," the coroner's office said in a new statement.

"The Greenville County Coroner's Office responded to the scene and initiated a parallel investigation with the Greenville City Police Department. The decedent has been identified as Hayden Leslie Panettiere, 36, of California. Panettiere was found unresponsive inside the residence, where she had been temporarily staying. An autopsy was completed by a Board Certified Forensic Pathologist. At autopsy no signs of trauma were discovered that would have contributed to the death."

Panettiere's body was released to her family on Tuesday, Aug. 18 , the coroner's office confirmed to PEOPLE. Her body was transferred to a mortuary that evening.

Panettiere's on-again, off-again boyfriend, Brian Hickerson , was with her when she died , as was his brother, Zach Hickerson. A police report obtained by PEOPLE revealed that Brian showed police to a "bag of medication" the late actress was taking, and that Zach was "very emotional," while Brian was not visibly emotional until the actress was declared dead .

On Thursday, Aug. 20, Brian broke his silence on the death in a statement shared via his attorney, Sloan Ellis. "Hayden's death remains under investigation and it is important to allow that investigation to proceed. As has been publicly reported, police confirmed there were no signs of foul play," read the statement shared with TMZ . "Out of respect for Hayden's loved ones and the ongoing investigation, there will be no further comment at this time."

Panettiere is survived by her only child, daughter Kaya, whom she welcomed in 2014 with then-fiancé, Wladimir Klitschko . The couple raised Kaya together for the first four years of Kaya's life, but in 2018, Panettiere made the "incredibly difficult" decision to give full custody to Klitschko.

Panettiere addressed the decision during a May 2026 episode of Jay Shetty's podcast On Purpose where she denied the "heartbreaking" claims that she "gave away" Kaya . At the time of the custody change, Panettiere was seeking treatment for alcoholism, substance abuse and postpartum depression.

"I mean, the idea that anybody would think that I would just give away my child and be okay with it is heartbreaking. Couldn't be farther from the truth," she said. "I think a misconception is that I have been, in the past, forced into treatment when, in fact, I have been the one who has sought it out."