Hayden Panettiere, 36, took one pill before she died that is believed to be oxycodone laced with fentanyl, sources close to the investigation reported to multiple news outlets.
The child star, best known for her roles in Heroes and Nashville, had been open about her struggles with opioid and alcohol addiction, even detailing them in the memoir she released this past May, This Is Me: A Reckoning.
The two-time Golden Globe nominee opened up about how she was given a “happy pill,” likely adderall, by someone on her team at the age of 15, which she said kept her “peppy” during red carpet interviews. She said that was her gateway drug.
Panettiere wrote in her book about completing an eight-month-long rehabilitation program in 2020 and working on her health and sobriety.
“I love being in a position now to be able to help people who are struggling with it still, and let them know that there is a time, a period of time when you get over the hill,” Panettiere told People. “Recovery is real. It can happen… As long as you remember to stay on the same path, to stay sober and keep on doing those things that make you happy, make you feel healthy, make you laugh... You can be happier than you’ve ever been before in your life.”
But The New York Post reported that Panettiere met with her “long-time drug dealer” in Los Angeles last month before flying to South Carolina. She then died at 2:32 p.m. on Aug. 16 in a Greenville apartment, just five days shy of her 37th birthday.
That individual is being investigated in the case, as they had been providing the actress with black-market prescription drugs, including oxycodone. The DEA is assisting the Greenville City Police Department, which is leading the investigation.
The Daily Beast has reached out to Panettiere’s representatives for comment.
Panettiere’s on-and-off ex-boyfriend, Brian Hickerson—who she wrote about extensively in her memoir, detailing the abuse she said she endured from him—had traveled with her from L.A. and was with her when she died.
Hickerson showed 911 responders on the scene a bag of medication she had with her while the two traveled to his hometown.
Investigators have found no indication of foul play, and Hickerson has not been accused of any wrongdoing, but the investigation remains ongoing.
An official cause of death has not yet been revealed, as authorities said a toxicology report could take up to 12 weeks. The report will confirm whether the oxycodone pill was laced with fentanyl—an opioid 50 times more potent than heroin, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration.
On Saturday night, Hickerson and his brother were involved in a “bloody” bar fight after they were reportedly heckled about Panettiere’s death.
Panettiere died three years after her younger brother, Jansen, passed away from a heart condition. She left behind her 11-year-old daughter, Kaya Klitschko, whom she called her “kindred spirit.”
Kaya’s father is Ukrainian former professional boxer Wladimir Klitschko, Panettiere’s ex-fiancé, to whom she voluntarily signed over full custody of their daughter while she focused on her recovery. Klitschko posted a tribute to his ex soon after her passing.
“Our family is going through a time of profound shock and grief. She left this world far too soon,” Klitschko posted. “Hayden was, although no longer my partner, an important part of my life and the mother of our daughter, Kaya.
In the wake of her revealing memoir and death, the Remember the Titans star has sparked debate and discourse about the abuse, drugs, inappropriate relationships, and mental health struggles child actors are exposed to.
“She built an incredible career through immense talent, while also facing the darker sides of a very demanding industry,” Klitschko continued. “To our daughter Kaya, I will always speak of her mother with respect and make sure she remembers the person she was.”
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