Coroner's Statement Details Final Moments
Actress Hayden Panettiere, best known for her roles in Heroes and Nashville, died on Sunday at the age of 36. The Greenville County Coroner's Office said in a statement on Monday that she was found in cardiac arrest shortly before her death.
According to the coroner's office, a 911 call was received on August 16, 2026, at approximately 1:51 pm regarding a reported cardiac arrest at 701 Easley Bridge Road in Greenville, South Carolina. First responders and Emergency Medical Services arrived and located a female in cardiac arrest. EMS personnel initiated advanced cardiac life-support measures, but resuscitation efforts were unsuccessful, and the individual was pronounced deceased at 2:32 pm.
The home where Panettiere was found is reportedly an Airbnb-style residence in Greenville, a city in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
An autopsy was carried out on Monday, and no signs of trauma that could have contributed to Panettiere's death were discovered, the coroner's office said. Her official cause and manner of death "remain pending further investigation and the completion of additional studies," including a toxicology report.
Family Confirms Death
Panettiere's father, Skip Panettiere, confirmed her death in a statement to ABC News on Sunday evening. "It is with profound sadness that we share the tragic passing of our beloved Hayden. 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 on screen," he said. He asked for privacy "as our family takes time to process this unimaginable loss."
A Career Spanning Decades
Born in New York on August 21, 1989, Panettiere began appearing in commercials when she was only 11 months old and landed her first acting role at the age of six in the soap opera One Life to Live. She later appeared in Guiding Light, Ally McBeal, Malcolm in the Middle, and Law & Order: Special.
Her first major film role was the voice of Dot in Pixar's 1998 film A Bug's Life. She went on to star in films including Remember the Titans, Ice Princess, I Love You, Beth Cooper, and Scream 4. In 2005, she starred in the Disney film Ice Princess alongside Michelle Trachtenberg, who passed away in February 2025 at age 39.
Panettiere's breakout television role came in 2006 when she landed the part of Claire Bennet on Heroes, which ran until 2010. In 2012, she took on the role of a country music star in the musical drama Nashville. She returned as Kirby Reed in Scream VI in 2023.
Music and Memoir
Panettiere's work on Nashville showcased her musical talents. She contributed almost 50 individual songs to the soundtracks of the show's six seasons. Her song "Telescope" from season one hit No. 36 on the Billboard Hot Country chart, and 10 other songs by Panettiere charted in the Top 50.
In May 2026, Panettiere released her memoir This Is Me: A Reckoning. In it, she revealed that while she was portraying a character dealing with postpartum depression, substance abuse, and alcoholism, she was also experiencing those things in real life.
Family Tragedy
Panettiere's younger brother, actor Jansen Panettiere, died unexpectedly in 2023 at the age of 28. His death was caused by cardiomegaly (enlarged heart) coupled with complications involving the aortic valve.
As of August 18, reports indicate that Panettiere died of cardiac arrest caused by a possible overdose after she was found unresponsive in her home in South Carolina. However, the coroner's office has not yet released an official cause of death, pending further investigation and toxicology results.