Hayden Panettiere was found unresponsive inside her South Carolina home after a friend called 911, with dispatch audio later describing a possible overdose and cardiac arrest. Emergency responders rushed to the residence and attempted CPR and advanced cardiac life support, but the 36-year-old actress was pronounced dead later that afternoon.
The circumstances surrounding Hayden’s death remained under investigation, and authorities initially found no signs of foul play. Her death came after years of openly discussing addiction and postpartum depression, while she left behind her 11-year-old daughter, Kaya, whom she welcomed with former fiancé Wladimir Klitschko in 2014.
Hayden Panettiere’s friend called for help after discovering her unresponsive
According to Page Six and TMZ, Hayden’s friend placed the 911 call at 1:51 p.m. Sunday after finding her unresponsive and in cardiac arrest at her Greenville, South Carolina, residence. Dispatchers described an “unidentified female” and reported that “CPR [was] in progress,” while dispatch audio referenced someone who had possibly overdosed.
Greenville police and EMS crews quickly arrived. Paramedics attempted to resuscitate Hayden with “advanced cardiac life support” and chest compressions, but the efforts failed. Responders pronounced her dead at 2:32 p.m.
Police initially found no indication of foul play and said the circumstances did not appear suspicious. The Greenville County coroner planned an autopsy to determine Hayden’s cause and manner of death, meaning the reported overdose remained unconfirmed.
It also remained unclear whether Brian Hickerson, Hayden’s on-again, off-again boyfriend, made the emergency call. Hickerson had recently admitted to abusing Hayden, and he reportedly traveled with her from Los Angeles to South Carolina on Saturday.
Hayden’s father, Skip Panettiere, confirmed her death and remembered his daughter as “an incredible light and a force of nature.” He asked for privacy as the family processed what he described as an “unimaginable loss.”
The actress had built a career from childhood, becoming widely known for Heroes and Nashville, alongside films including Remember the Titans, Raising Helen, Ice Princess and Scream 4.
Hayden’s death also came three years after her younger brother, Jansen Panettiere, died at 28 from an undiagnosed heart condition.
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Originally reported by Vanshika Vasundhare Singh for Reality Tea
This story originally appeared on Realitytea
