Hayden Panettiere’s Death Ruled as Accidental, Case Closed: Reports

The investigation into Hayden Panettiere’s death is now closed after an investigation found that an accidental overdose was to blame.

The Greenville Police Department has confirmed to reporters that the actor’s passing on Aug. 16 was not being treated as suspicious.

“Based on the Medical Examiner’s determination and the findings of the investigation, Hayden Panettiere’s death has been ruled accidental,” reads a statement provided to Entertainment Weekly. “The Greenville Police Department has concluded its investigation.”

That decision follows a coroner’s report, seen last month by Associated Press, that claimed her death was from an accidental overdose of several drugs, including fentanyl, following a stint in rehab.

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The former Nashville and Heroes star was found in cardiac arrest at a residence in South Carolina, aged 36. “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 onscreen,” said her father, Skip Panettiere, in a statement.

Panettiere had an 11-year-old daughter, Kaya Evdokia Klitschko, with ex-fiancé Wladimir Klitschko, the former heavyweight champion boxer. In 2018, she agreed to give full custody of Kaya to Klitschko amid her struggles with postpartum depression and addiction.

According to AP, it’s remains unclear whether federal authorities will separately continue to examine the case. In a petition last month to a California court, Klitschko noted that federal law enforcement agents had taken some of her items for their own probe. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration did not immediately respond to emailed requests from the news agency.

Though she was best known for her small screen work, which got underway with a commercial shoot at 11 months old for a Playskool toy train, back in 1990, Panettiere also left behind a music imprint thanks to her run on Nashville from 2012-2018.

She played ambitious country-pop singer Juliette Barnes on Nashville opposite Connie Britton and her vocals anchored the series’ Billboard-charting companion soundtrack albums on Big Machine Records. She also recorded songs for family films and teen-pop compilations as a teenager, and after taking on the role of Claire Bennet in NBC’s modern superheroes saga Heroes, she signed to Hollywood Records and released the 2008 single “Wake Up Call.” Panettiere cracked Billboard’s Digital Song Sales chart in 2012 with Nashville number “Undermine,” a collaboration with Charles Esten (peaking at No. 58).