Hayden Panettiere died after taking pill laced with fentanyl, report says
Hayden Panettiere took a pill that was allegedly laced with fentanyl on the day she died, according to a new report.
The beloved actress died at the age of 36 in Greenville, South Carolina, last month.
Panettiere allegedly took oxycodone laced with fentanyl, sources told TMZ. Just a few grains of the powerful opioid, which is 50 times stronger than heroine, can cause a fatal overdose.
The mom-of-one bought several black-market prescription drugs, including oxycodone, from a ‘long time drug dealer’ she had in Los Angeles, the outlet reported.
The star and her on-off real estate agent boyfriend Brian Hickerson had flown from Los Angeles to South Carolina, where he is from, one day before she died.
Panettiere is seen on May 19, 2026 in New York City, promoting her new book. The tragic news comes just months after her memoir, This is Me, became a New York Times bestseller. The actress had become candid about her struggles dealing with fame, especially as a child star, in the months before her passing
Beloved actress Hayden Panettiere died at the age of 36. She leaves behind her daughter, who is 11. Panettiere is pictured here attending the Met Gala in 2014
TMZ reported that the actress took several drugs she purchased in LA on the flight. Authorities allegedly believe the pill she took the morning of her death was laced.
Hickerson administered Narcan – a medicine that quickly reverses an opioid overdose – to Panettiere after finding her unresponsive.
Police are now trying to trace the fatal pill back to the person who allegedly sold it to her, according to sources speaking to the outlet.
At this time, no one has been arrested in connection with Panettiere’s death.
The former child star was known for her roles on the hit NBC series Heroes and musical drama Nashville.
Detectives confirmed to the Daily Mail that they responded to an apartment block in Greenville after they received a 911 call from an ‘acquaintance’ of Panettiere, describing her as ‘unresponsive’.
In the dispatch audio of the call made at 1.51pm, a female dispatcher described Panettiere as suffering a ‘cardiac arrest.’ A few moments later a male dispatcher could be heard saying that Panettiere had suffered a suspected overdose at the home.
This is a breaking news story.
