A desperate 911 call. An actress found unresponsive. Paramedics performing CPR as a dispatcher reported a possible overdose.
These are the first harrowing details to emerge from the final moments of Hayden Panettiere, the beloved Heroes and Nashville star who died Sunday at only 36—five days before her 37th birthday.
But despite the disturbing emergency audio, authorities have not officially determined what caused her death.
An unidentified acquaintance called 911 at 1:51 p.m. from an apartment in Greenville, South Carolina, reporting an “unresponsive female” in “cardiac arrest,” according to dispatch recordings obtained by the New York Post.
Follow @allchronologyEmergency crews rushed to the address and attempted to revive Panettiere using advanced cardiac life support. Such efforts can involve CPR, defibrillation, emergency medications and the placement of a breathing tube.
Minutes later, another emergency responder was heard describing the incident as a possible “overdose” and confirming that “CPR is in progress.”
Panettiere was pronounced dead at 2:32 p.m.
The word “overdose” in preliminary dispatch communications does not establish a cause of death. Emergency responders frequently operate with incomplete information, and cardiac arrest describes the moment the heart stops—it does not explain why it happened.
Police said they found no signs of foul play. An autopsy was scheduled for Monday, and toxicology findings could take considerably longer to complete.
Until those results are released, any claim that Panettiere died from an overdose remains unconfirmed.
Authorities said she was discovered by an “acquaintance” whose identity has not been publicly revealed. Reports indicated that Panettiere had traveled from Los Angeles on Saturday with her on-and-off boyfriend, Brian Hickerson, but it was not known whether he was the person who found her or placed the emergency call.
Follow @allchronologyHer sudden death came only three months after the publication of her intensely personal memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning.
In the book, Panettiere described her battles with alcohol and opioid dependency, postpartum depression, domestic abuse and the relentless pressure of growing up before Hollywood’s cameras.
She had been working since infancy.
Panettiere appeared in commercials at 11 months old before moving into television roles on One Life to Live and Guiding Light. At 9, she voiced Princess Dot in Pixar’s A Bug’s Life, becoming one of the youngest performers connected to a Grammy nomination.
At 10, she appeared in Remember the Titans. Later came Ice Princess, Racing Stripes, Bring It On: All or Nothing and I Love You, Beth Cooper.
Her life changed permanently when she was cast as Claire Bennet in NBC’s Heroes. As the teenage cheerleader capable of healing from seemingly fatal injuries, Panettiere became the face of a television phenomenon.
She later earned two Golden Globe nominations for portraying country singer Juliette Barnes on Nashville—a gifted but emotionally wounded performer whose public success concealed private turmoil.
Away from the screen, Panettiere said her own exposure to substances began disturbingly early.
She revealed that at 15 she was offered “happy pills” before red-carpet appearances.
“They were to make me peppy during interviews,” she told People in 2022.
“I had no idea that this was not an appropriate thing, or what door that would open for me when it came to my addiction.”
Her alcohol use worsened over time, and she later developed a dependency on prescription opioids after using them for an old neck injury.
Follow @allchronologyFollowing the birth of her daughter Kaya in December 2014, Panettiere also experienced severe postpartum depression. She entered a rehabilitation facility in 2015 and later spent eight months in treatment beginning in 2020.
In her memoir, she recalled doctors warning that she could be dead within five years if she continued drinking.
But Panettiere also described recovery, sobriety and a renewed desire to live.
She returned to acting after an extended absence, appearing in Scream VI, Amber Alert, A Breed Apart and Sleepwalker. In one of her final interviews, she expressed hope for the future.
“I have a lot more life left to live,” she said.
Those words have become unbearable in the aftermath of Sunday’s emergency call.
Yet Panettiere’s past struggles must not be treated as proof of what killed her. Addiction formed part of her life story, but an official medical determination has not been made.
For now, the audio reveals only a frantic effort to save her: a friend seeking help, paramedics racing to the apartment and CPR continuing as the minutes slipped away.
The dispatchers feared an overdose.
The autopsy must determine the truth.