New details have emerged after the tragic death of Nashville star Hayden Panettiere, who was found dead on Sunday at age 36.
According to TMZ, a friend found the actress inside a luxury loft in Greenville, South Carolina, where emergency services were called to check on an “unresponsive female” in “cardiac arrest,” the outlet reported.
Officials at the scene reportedly discussed an “overdose,” according to dispatch audio obtained by People. According to correspondence obtained by Entertainment Weekly, “EMS personnel initiated advanced cardiac life support measures; however, resuscitation efforts were unsuccessful, and the individual was pronounced deceased at 2:32 PM.”
The Greenville County Coroner also announced in a statement to the outlet that “an autopsy was completed” on Monday, which found “no signs of trauma” that “would have contributed to the death.”
Police say that there are no initial signs of foul play or suspicious circumstances, but the Coroner’s Office added, “The cause and manner of death remain pending further investigation and the completion of additional studies. This investigation remains active and ongoing.”
It is unclear who called emergency services to revive the actress and whether it was her on-again, off-again boyfriend Brian Hickerson, who had traveled with the star from L.A. to South Carolina just before her death, according to TMZ. The Greenville Police Department told NBC Los Angeles that an “acquaintance of Ms. Panettiere” placed the 911 call.
The pair had flown from Los Angeles to South Carolina a day before her death.
Hickerson and the Scream actress dated “on and off” from 2018 to 2022, ABC 4 News reports. Hickerson, a realtor, was arrested multiple times for abuse during the course of their relationship. In 2020, Panettiere told People that she was “coming forward” with the truth of her relationship and the abuse she faced to “empower others.”
“I am prepared to do my part to make sure this man never hurts anyone again. I’m grateful for my support system, which helped me find the courage to regain my voice and my life,” she told the outlet. In 2021, he was sentenced to 45 days in prison for domestic violence.
Panettiere outlined patterns of abuse in her memoir, This is Me: A Reckoning, which was published in May. Hickerson described the book as “incredible.”
“I think everyone should read it. I mean, the domestic violence stuff my chapter [sic], everybody should read it,” he told ABC. At the time, the outlet referred to Hickerson as Panettiere’s ex-boyfriend.
Panettiere has had a troubled history with substance abuse and postpartum depression.
In 2018, she reliquinshed custody of her daughter to her ex-partner, heavyweight boxing champion Wladimir Klitschko.
The actress, who began her career as a child star on soap operas such as One Life to Live and Guiding Light, has detailed her story in her fiercely candid memoir, writing about being groomed as a child star and developing an alcohol addiction to her sexuality, mental health struggles, and various relationships.
“I realized it was more important for me to share my stories and to wipe the slate clean,” she told the Hollywood Reporter of her decision to sit down and write the book.
Panettiere has been mourned by her Hollywood colleagues and friends. Her Scream co-star David Arquette wrote on Instagram, “I love you Hayden” while Melissa Barrera said, “rest in peace sweet Hayden,” along with a broken-heart emoji.
Bethany Joy-Lenz, Panettiere’s co-star on the daytime soap Guiding Light, said she was “crushed” by the news of her death.
“I dont understand how this is real. Everything seemed to be turning around. She was coming BACK to life, wasn’t she? It’s too young and there’s still so much more life,” she wrote.
Oscar winner Viola Davis, with whom Panettiere starred in the courtroom drama Custody, wrote a lengthy tribute to the star. “What an amazing talent you were....so gifted,” she said. “I wish the world had more time with you because I had a burning curiosity about who you were becoming...You will be remembered. Rest well, Hayden.”
