Autopsy finds fentanyl and other drugs caused actor Hayden Panettiere’s death

Actor Hayden Panettiere died from the toxic effects of fentanyl, Xanax and several other medical drugs. She died in mid-August at the age of 36.

The Greenville County coroner in South Carolina classified the death as accidental. No injuries were found that could have contributed to it.

Drugs found in Panettiere’s blood

Pathologists also found methocarbamol, a muscle relaxant, and quetiapine, an antipsychotic medication used to treat some mental-health conditions. Emergency workers tried to resuscitate Panettiere and restore her heartbeat, but were unsuccessful.

The US Drug Enforcement Administration is expected to take part in the investigation. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that has caused the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Americans over the past five years.

Her memoir described addiction

Panettiere, known for the television series “Heroes” and “Nashville,” published memoirs several months before her death about addiction and postpartum depression. She wrote that she first tried drugs at 16 and later found it nearly impossible to live without alcohol and drugs.

Her brother Zak and former boyfriend Brian Hickerson were at Panettiere’s home when emergency crews arrived. Hickerson had previously acknowledged behaving abusively toward the actor.

Panettiere was the former fiancée of Ukrainian boxer Wladimir Klitschko and the mother of his daughter. Her brother Jansen died of heart disease at 28; in her memoir, she said he also struggled with drug addiction.