Hayden Panettiere Dead at 36, Cause of Death Still Pending After Autopsy Finds No Trauma

Hayden Panettiere, the actress who went from child star in "Remember the Titans" to household name in NBC's "Heroes," died Sunday, August 16, at age 36.

Greenville, South Carolina police said officers and EMS responded that afternoon to a report of an unresponsive woman at Judson Mill Lofts, an apartment complex where Panettiere was temporarily staying, according to CBS News. She was pronounced dead at the scene. Police said an acquaintance placed the 911 call.

The Greenville County Coroner's Office said first responders found Panettiere in cardiac arrest and began advanced cardiac life support, but resuscitation failed. She was pronounced dead at 2:32 p.m., according to a statement Fox News Digital confirmed. Dispatch audio obtained by the Los Angeles Times captured a responder reporting the cardiac arrest, followed minutes later by another radio call noting CPR was in progress.

Police said their preliminary investigation "has not indicated any signs of foul play or suspicious circumstances," according to CBS News. An autopsy completed Monday, August 17, found no signs of trauma that would have contributed to her death, the coroner's office said. The cause and manner of death remain pending further investigation and additional toxicology or lab studies, officials said. Greenville County Coroner Mike Ellis's office and Greenville police are running parallel investigations, according to Fox News.

TMZ reported that Panettiere and on-again, off-again boyfriend Brian Hickerson flew from Los Angeles to South Carolina on Saturday, August 15, and that Hickerson's family had been notified. TMZ also cited a source close to Panettiere saying she had complained of back pain over the past year. None of that has been confirmed by police or the coroner's office, and it should be read as unverified until officials say otherwise.

Panettiere's father, Skip Panettiere, a former New York City fire captain, announced her death in a statement distributed through publicist Kasey Kitchen. "It is with profound sadness that we share the tragic passing of our beloved Hayden," he said. "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. We ask for privacy as our family takes time to process this unimaginable loss."

Panettiere's career started before she could remember it. She appeared in soap operas including "One Life to Live" and "Guiding Light" as a child, then broke through as Sheryl Yoast alongside Denzel Washington in 2000's "Remember the Titans." She became a star at 16 playing cheerleader Claire Bennet in "Heroes," a role that won her three Teen Choice Awards. She later played country singer Juliette Barnes in "Nashville," earning two Golden Globe nominations, and appeared in the "Scream" franchise.

Panettiere was candid about the cost of that fame. In her memoir "This Is Me: A Reckoning," released in May 2026, she wrote about being pushed into auditions as an 8-month-old baby and booking 50 commercials by age 5, telling CBS News' Gayle King the pressure "never stopped." She wrote about physical abuse, addiction to alcohol and opioids that began in her teens, and postpartum depression after the 2014 birth of her daughter, Kaya, with Ukrainian boxer Wladimir Klitschko. She gave up custody of Kaya in 2018, a decision she called "heartbreaking," according to the Los Angeles Times.

She also wrote about a second addiction that followed her first stint in rehab in 2015. "I'd walked into rehab addicted to one substance, and I'd walked out, completely dependent on something else," she wrote, describing anti-anxiety medication prescribed during treatment, according to Fox News.

In 2023, Panettiere's younger brother Jansen died at 28 from a heart condition, a loss she later said she carried guilt over. She would have turned 37 on Friday, August 21, according to WRAL.

Tributes poured in from former co-stars. Viola Davis, who worked with Panettiere on the 2016 film "Custody," called her "an old, wise soul with such a deep heart" on Instagram, according to Forbes. "Scream" co-stars Melissa Barrera and David Arquette also posted tributes, along with Rosie O'Donnell, Selma Blair, Kim Cattrall and Bethany Joy Lenz.

The coroner's office says its investigation "remains active and ongoing," with no further details expected until toxicology and additional studies are complete. No timeline has been given for when a final cause of death will be released.