Actress Hayden Panettiere was found unresponsive and pronounced dead Sunday afternoon in a Greenville, South Carolina, apartment after a friend called 911 reporting a cardiac arrest, according to newly released dispatch audio and police.
Emergency services responded to Judson Mill Lofts around 1:51 p.m. local time following a call from an acquaintance describing an “unresponsive female” in “cardiac arrest.” Moments later in the same dispatch traffic, an EMT reported arriving at the address for a suspected “overdose” with “CPR in progress.”
Paramedics administered advanced cardiac life support, including CPR, breathing tubes, defibrillators, and emergency medications. Panettiere, 36, was pronounced dead at the scene at 2:32 p.m.—roughly 40 minutes after the initial call and just days before her 37th birthday.
Greenville Police Department said officers and EMS personnel found no signs of foul play or suspicious circumstances in their preliminary investigation. The case remains under investigation jointly with the Greenville County Coroner’s Office. An autopsy was scheduled.
“An acquaintance of Ms. Panettiere placed the 911 call,” police stated. The identity of the caller has not been publicly released. Panettiere had reportedly traveled to the area with her on-and-off boyfriend Brian Hickerson, who has ties to South Carolina, though it is unclear whether he made the call or was present.
Her father, Skip Panettiere, confirmed the death in a statement: “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.”
Panettiere rose to fame as a child actress before starring as Claire Bennet, the cheerleader with regenerative powers, on the NBC series Heroes and as country singer Juliette Barnes on Nashville. She also appeared in Remember the Titans, the Scream franchise, and other film and television projects.
In recent years, the New York native had been open about her long struggles with substance abuse, including alcohol and opioids, as well as postpartum depression following the birth of her daughter Kaya with former boxing champion Wladimir Klitschko. She had multiple stints in rehab and, just months before her death, published a memoir detailing those battles along with other personal challenges.
Authorities have not released an official cause of death pending the autopsy and further investigation.
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