Hayden Panettiere Death

Hayden Panettiere Death

Hayden Panettiere, who became a household name as a teenager for her role in Heroes and later starred in Nashville and multiple Scream films, has died at age 36.

Panettiere was pronounced dead at a South Carolina apartment Sunday, August 16. A cause of death has not been revealed, but an autopsy showed no signs of trauma. Toxicology reports are pending and could take up to 12 weeks, according to the Greenville County Coroner’s Office.

A newly released incident report states that the 911 call was made by Brian Hickerson, 37, who is referred to as Panettiere’s boyfriend. He reportedly turned over a “bag of medication” belonging to Panettiere to the police, but the contents of that bag has so far been redacted. His brother Zach Hickerson was also present on the scene. The Independent has approached police for further information.

Authorities said Monday that her death remains under investigation by the Greenville Police Department and Greenville County Coroner's Office.

A preliminary investigation found no signs of foul play or suspicious circumstances.

The actress who shot to fame playing an indestructible cheerleader in the NBC show “Heroes” was far more vulnerable in real life. Mental health challenges, postpartum depression and addiction plagued her young adult years and temporarily halted the career that began when she was less than a year old.

But this year, Panettiere addressed her struggles in a memoir and spoke publicly about losing her brother. And her career was making a comeback, with her latest film released in January.

So when the 36-year-old was pronounced dead in a South Carolina apartment on Sunday, shock and grief stretched around the world.

The report came from the Judson Mill Lofts on Easley Bridge Road, Greenville police said. The coroner’s office said Panettiere, a California resident, “had been temporarily staying” at the apartment complex, but authorities did not say who lived at the residence.

First responders arrived and found Panettiere in cardiac arrest, the coroner’s office said. Dispatch audio obtained from Broadcastify.com references a possible overdose and CPR in progress, though authorities have not addressed whether an overdose actually took place.

Medics tried unsuccessfully to resuscitate Panettiere, who was pronounced dead at the scene at 2:32 p.m., the coroner’s office said.

Brian Hickerson showed the officer a bag of Panettiere’s medications, the report said. But many details of the police report are redacted, including a list of Panettiere’s medications.

The official cause and manner of death have not been determined, pending the results of additional testing. Toxicology tests, which are standard in many death investigations, can take weeks to complete.

Panettiere’s body was released Tuesday night to the mortuary her family chose, the Greenville County coroner’s office said.

In a candid memoir published less than three months before her death, Panettiere detailed the evolution of a once-exciting, new relationship that quickly escalated into years of domestic violence by a man she referred to only as “Brian.”

The actress wrote about heated – and often drunken – arguments that ended with him slapping and hitting her between screams: “One night he busts up my face so badly I don’t leave the house for weeks.”

In 2019, a Brian Hickerson was convicted of two felony charges of “Injuring a Spouse, Cohabitant, Fiance’s, Boyfriend, Girlfriend or Child’s Parent” and was sentenced to four years of formal probation, according to the Superior Court of Los Angeles County Clerk’s Office.

Panettiere also wrote about at least three different instances in which “Brian” was arrested after he’d hit her during a fight, including on Valentine’s Day in 2020 while the couple was on vacation in Wyoming.

In a May 2026 interview with TMZ, Brian Hickerson said he had read Panettiere’s memoir and acknowledged he “had a lot to drink, and I got physical with (Panettiere), and I got arrested” on February 14, 2020. He called the parts of the book detailing domestic violence “my chapter. Everybody should read it.”

Now, police have reportedly begun probing whether there could be criminal conduct behind her death. Officers with the Greenville Police Department were seen outside of a Hickerson family home Wednesday morning in photos first obtained by Page Six. The US Drug Enforcement Administration joined the investigation into Panettiere’s death on Wednesday, according to a person familiar with the case who spoke to the New York Times.

Among her most memorable roles were Sheryl Yoast in the 2000 Denzel Washington-led film Remember the Titans, high school cheerleader Claire Bennet on NBC’s sci-fi drama Heroes (2006-2010), and aspiring country singer Juliette Barnes on the hit TV series Nashville (2012-2018).

Her New York Times bestselling memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning, was published in May this year, in which she looked back at her childhood in Hollywood and her experiences with addiction, postpartum depression, abusive relationships, and the loss of custody of her daughter, Kaya, whom she shares with former heavyweight boxer Wladimir Klitschko.

Hayden Panettiere, best known for her roles in Heroes, Nashville, and the Scream franchise, has died aged 36.

“It is with profound sadness that we share the tragic passing of our beloved Hayden,” Panettiere’s father, Skip said in a statement to ABC News. “She was an incredible light and a force of nature who brought immeasurable love and joy to all who knew her — and to the millions who watched her onscreen.”

General Hospital fans who followed Jonathan Jackson to the nighttime serial, Nashville, saw his character, Avery Barkley, be paired with Juliette Barnes, played by the late Hayden Panettiere. Now, the Daytime Emmy winner is remembering his former co-star, following her passing on August 16.

Police say a call for a welfare check at a home belonging to Brian Hickerson is unrelated to the investigation into Hayden Panettiere’s death.

The Greenville Police Department responded to the welfare check request days after Panettiere’s death, saying the call did not require an incident report.

Panettiere, 36, was pronounced dead on the scene after police responded to a call for an unresponsive woman at a South Carolina apartment.

Hayden Panettiere’s death reignites debate over child acting industry
A police report noted that Hickerson, Panettiere’s on-again, off-again boyfriend, and his brother were present on the scene when officers responded. He reportedly gave officers a bag of medications Panettiere had been taking.

The department continues to investigate Panettiere’s death, though a preliminary investigation has not indicated signs of foul play or suspicious circumstances, according to a news release.

An initial autopsy showed no signs of trauma.

Known for her work on “Nashville” and “Heroes,” Panettiere’s acting career began at 8 months old, appearing in commercials.

Panettiere’s death comes three months after she released her memoir, “This Is Me: A Reckoning,” in which she spoke about her struggles with addiction, child stardom, postpartum depression and her sexuality.

The Drug Enforcement Administration has agents assisting the parallel death investigations already underway ... according to our sources with direct knowledge of the probe. As we first reported, Greenville PD and the coroner's office are conducting parallel investigations ... and the DEA jumping on the case as well makes sense.

Hayden Panettiere had been looking forward to spending her 37th birthday with her daughter, Kaya, before her untimely death on Sunday.

"She was planning on spending the week of her birthday visiting her daughter in Germany," a source close to the "Nashville" alum told Page Six exclusively. "She was so excited to see her and was telling everyone how much she was looking forward to spending time with her."

Page Six previously reported that the "Heroes" star had been making plans to see Kaya, 11, and can now reveal the trip was intended to coincide with her birthday week.

Panettiere's hairstylist and close friend Erick Orellana told Page Six earlier this week that she had spoken excitedly about wanting to take a vacation and visit her daughter.

"I last saw her a few months ago," Orellana said.

"She was talking about how she wanted to take a vacation, and that she wanted to go and see her daughter. Her daughter was always her absolute priority. She loved her so much."

Orellana, who worked with Panettiere for three years, said the actress frequently showed him photos of Kaya and shared stories about her.

"Her daughter was the absolute light of her life," he told us. "She lit up when she spoke about her. Everything she did revolved around her."

Kaya has lived in Ukraine with her father, who is Panettiere's ex-fiancé, Wladimir Klitschko, since 2018, when the "Scream 4" star gave up custody amid her battle with postpartum depression and addiction.

The Golden Globe nominee had maintained an amicable relationship with Klitschko, whom she dated from 2009 to 2018. She also recently gushed over her and Kaya's "really intense, incredible bond" leading up to her death.

Around the same time her relationship with Klitschko ended, Panettiere was romantically linked with Brian Hickerson in 2018.

Panettiere died Sunday in Greenville, South Carolina, her family confirmed. She was 36.

Police and emergency personnel responded shortly before 2 p.m. to a report of an unresponsive woman and attempted to provide medical assistance before Panettiere was pronounced dead at the scene.

Posted on 2026/08/20 09:37 AM