The Greenville Police Department has closed its investigation into the death of Hayden Panettiere, ruling the death accidental. The department confirmed to reporters that the death, on August 16, was not being treated as suspicious.
A statement provided to Entertainment Weekly said: “Based on the Medical Examiner’s determination and the findings of the investigation, Hayden Panettiere’s death has been ruled accidental.”
The decision follows a coroner’s report, seen last month by the Associated Press, that attributed her death to an accidental overdose of several drugs, including fentanyl, following a stint in rehab. Panettiere, 36, was found in cardiac arrest at a residence in South Carolina.
Her father, Skip Panettiere, said in a statement: “It is with profound sadness that we share the tragic passing of our beloved Hayden.”
Panettiere had an 11-year-old daughter, Kaya Evdokia Klitschko, with former fiancé Wladimir Klitschko. In 2018, she agreed to give full custody of Kaya to Klitschko amid struggles with postpartum depression and addiction. According to the AP, it remains unclear whether federal authorities will separately continue to examine the case. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration did not immediately respond to emailed requests from the news agency.
Panettiere also left a music imprint through her run on Nashville from 2012 to 2018, in which she played country-pop singer Juliette Barnes opposite Connie Britton. Her vocals anchored the series’ Billboard-charting companion soundtrack albums on Big Machine Records. In 2012, she appeared on Billboard’s Digital Song Sales chart with the Nashville song “Undermine,” a collaboration with Charles Esten that peaked at No. 58.
Source: Billboard
