Hayden Panettiere’s cause of death released by coroner
The Greenville County Coroner released the cause of death for 36-year-old actress Hayden Panettiere, ruling it a tragic accident from the toxic effects of fentanyl and other substances. Fox News chief correspondent Jonathan Hunt reports from Los Angeles on her sudden death in South Carolina.
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Hayden Panettiere’s final moments were captured in a frantic 911 call, as the brother of her on-and-off boyfriend desperately tried to revive the actress after finding her unconscious at a South Carolina apartment on Aug. 16.
“Oh, God, oh, my God — you do like CPR or something?” Zach Hickerson asked the dispatcher in the newly released audio obtained by ABC News and CBS News.
The seven-minute call reveals Hickerson performing CPR on Panettiere while Brian Hickerson administered Narcan.
Panettiere, 36, was found unresponsive at the Greenville residence on Aug. 16. Zach told the 911 operator that he had arrived at the apartment after returning from church and discovered his brother and Panettiere inside.
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Hayden Panettiere died at age 36 on Aug. 16. (Getty Images)
“He woke up, and his girl … she’s unconscious,” Zach said.
The dispatcher asked whether Panettiere was breathing.
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“No, I don’t think so,” Zach replied.
The operator then instructed Zach to lay Panettiere flat on her back and begin CPR while emergency crews rushed to the scene.
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“OK, we need to start CPR,” the dispatcher said. “I’m going to tell you how to do CPR, OK?”
The operator proceeded to walk Zach through chest compressions and mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.

Panettiere’s major breakthrough came as Claire Bennett, the seemingly indestructible cheerleader at the center of NBC’s superhero drama “Heroes,” which ran from 2006 to 2010. (Getty Images)
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“We’re going to do this 500 times or until help can arrive,” the dispatcher said, according to ABC News.
Zach continued performing CPR until first responders arrived. Brian reportedly administered Narcan, a medication used to reverse the effects of an opioid overdose.
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In a statement to TMZ shortly after Panettiere’s death, Zach said he called 911 after he and Brian tried to wake up the actress.
“When we went in and tried to wake Hayden up, we realized she was unconscious,” he said. “I immediately called 911, and Brian gave her Narcan. We then jointly performed CPR while 911 was on speaker until Fire and EMS arrived.”
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Hayden Panettiere and Brian Hickerson in Los Angeles Jan. 31, 2019. (Gotpap/Bauer-Griffin)
Panettiere was pronounced dead at the scene at 2:32 p.m.
Panettiere died from the toxic effects of fentanyl, 4-ANPP, alprazolam, methocarbamol and quetiapine, according to the Greenville County Coroner’s Office. The manner of death was 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,” the Greenville County Coroner’s Office said in a release obtained by Fox News Digital.
“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 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.”
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“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.”

In her new memoir, Hayden Panettiere detailed the struggles she endured with postpartum depression. (Storm Santos)
“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 accident.”
Hickerson traveled with the “Remember the Titans” actress from Los Angeles the day before she was found unresponsive, according to TMZ. The two broke up briefly in 2022, but rekindled their romance the following year. Hickerson’s brother confirmed to police Brian was in a relationship with the actress at the time of Panettiere’s death.
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Fox News learned the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) had also been contacted and was assisting with the investigation.
