Autopsy shows Hayden Panettiere died from a drug overdose

22 September 2026, 15: 30 BST. Updated 9 minutes ago.

Key points

• Panettiere died last month at the age of 36 after she was discovered unresponsive at a South Carolina residence.
• The star of US TV demonstrates Heroes and Nashville had spoken openly concerning her struggles with substance abuse.
• The coroner's office remarked Panettiere's death was an accident and that no signs of trauma were discovered that would have contributed to her death.
• Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that has killed hundreds of thousands of Americans over the past five years alone.

Child star Hayden Panettiere died from the toxic effects of fentanyl, Xanax and a number of other drugs in her system, according to an autopsy completed by the Greenville County Coroner's Office in South Carolina.

For context, the coroner's office remarked Panettiere's death was an accident and that no signs of trauma were discovered that would have contributed to her death.

Notably, the star of US TV demonstrates Heroes and Nashville had spoken openly concerning her struggles with substance abuse.

In practice, the coroner's office additionally identified methocarbamol – a prescription muscle relaxant – and quetiapine – an antipsychotic medication that is applied to treat certain mental health conditions.

For now, autopsy shows Hayden Panettiere died from a drug overdose remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.