Coroner attributes Hayden Panettiere’s death to accidental drug toxicity

Actress Hayden Panettiere died from the toxic effects of fentanyl combined with several other medicines, the Greenville County Coroner’s Office said, according to Channels Television. The 36-year-old actor was found unresponsive at a home in South Carolina last month. Paramedics administered Narcan, a medicine used to counter the effects of a fentanyl overdose, but she was pronounced dead at the scene.

The coroner’s office said an autopsy found no signs of trauma and classified the death as accidental. Tests identified fentanyl alongside a generic form of Xanax, a muscle relaxant and an antipsychotic drug. The supplied report does not identify how the medicines were obtained or say whether any investigation into their source has produced findings.

Panettiere became known as a child performer and later starred in the television series “Heroes” and “Nashville”. Her film credits included “Remember The Titans”, “Ice Princess”, “Scream 4” and “Scream VI”. She also voiced Princess Dot in “A Bug’s Life” and received a Grammy nomination for that work, according to the report.

In a memoir released in May, Panettiere wrote about the pressures of child stardom and her experiences with alcohol and opioid addiction and recovery. She had a daughter with Ukrainian boxer Wladimir Klitschko in 2014 and said in an interview that custody had been given to him while she sought help. The report said her final interviews also addressed depression, addiction and the emotional effects of performing.

It did not include a statement from her family or partner following the coroner’s announcement.