Skip Panettiere, Hayden’s father, has confirmed that his daughter was in a Malibu drug rehabilitation facility until just a few weeks before her death at 38. The coroner ruled her death accidental, and attributed it to the toxic effects of illicit substance use, with fentanyl and a cocktail of prescription drugs found in her system.
New details about the weeks before her death at an Airbnb in Greenville, South Carolina, on August 16, have surfaced. Her boyfriend, Brian Hickerson, and his brother Zach both spoke about her battle with addiction, with Zach admitting she was “very good at hiding” substances.
The Toxicology Report
The Greenville County Coroner’s Office examined Panettiere’s toxicology after her death. The report found fentanyl, along with alprazolam (Xanax), methocarbamol, a muscle relaxant, and quetiapine, an antipsychotic used to treat schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and major depressive disorder.
Page Six reported that either Brian or Zach claimed Panettiere had “a long history of dg, alhol and nitrous oxide a**se,” and that he had “had to administer Narcan” to her before. Narcan is an emergency medication used to reverse the effects of opioids.
Skip’s Testimony
Skip has confirmed that his daughter has been discharged from rehab recently. He stated that she remained at the treatment center for “two or three weeks”. He characterized her struggle with addiction as something she has faced for “since her early 20s”, and he noted that she has attended several rehab centers since then.
He added that Panettiere struggled with postpartum depression following the birth of her child with ex Wladimir Klitschko. The daughter is named Kaya. “Her a**iction issues escalated since then,” he said.
Fame And Early Struggle
At just 11 months old, Panettiere landed her first job in the business, appearing in a commercial for Playskool. Four years later, she joined ABC’s soap opera One Life to Live as Sarah Roberts. Her later roles included Lizzie Spaulding on Guiding Light and a young part in the Disney sports film Remember the Titans.
Being in the spotlight from such a young age took a toll on her mental health, as she explained in a 2022 interview with People. “As I got older, dgs and alhol became something I almost couldn’t live without,” she said.
Skip said her relationship with Brian had been “nothing but troubled.” They began dating shortly after Panettiere’s engagement to Klitschko ended in 2018. Several police records show Brian laying hands on the actress, with some incidents resulting in his arrest.
The Jewelry Dispute
According to TMZ, investigators found a clear plastic bag holding a white powdery substance inside a suitcase belonging to Panettiere at the scene, alongside a cut straw with residue. A medication bottle marked as Adderall was also recovered, and it contained a small clear plastic bag with blue colored tablets that appeared to possibly be pressed pills. That second substance tested positive for fentanyl.
The request was made for the jewelry taken from Panettiere’s body, both Skip and Lesley Vogel, Panettiere’s estranged mother. Both sides were told that nothing would be handed over until they reached a settlement about the decedent’s personal possessions.
Vogel’s Memoir
Panettiere’s mother was Vogel, the woman who brought her into the entertainment business and managed her career until she was 19. That arrangement gave rise to tension between the two.
Panettiere says in her memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning, published in May, that their professional relationship ultimately led to their estrangement. Vogel tells a different story: she says she was the one who started the “no contact” arrangement with Panettiere after “20 years of trauma.”.
She explained that it was difficult for her to watch her child make “self-destructive” choices, including substance use.
A Church Memorial
Over the weekend, a memorial for the late actress was held at a church in Malibu, where approximately 150 guests gathered to honor her memory. Among those present were Paris Hilton, along with Panettiere’s former co-stars from the show Nashville: Connie Britton, Charles Esten, Lennon Stella, and Jonathan Jackson.
The new details emerged after that service.
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| Aug 16 | Panettiere dies at Airbnb in Greenville, South Carolina |
| Sept 22 | Official cause of passing released; coroner rules accidental |
The details coming to light describe a woman whose fame arrived young but whose personal struggles persisted into her thirties. Panettiere’s story follows an arc of early achievement, hidden suffering, and a fight that outlasted her. Her addiction began in her twenties and continued through her thirties, marked by several stays in treatment centers and difficult relationships.
A life cut short carries with it a quiet but telling footnote: the jewelry dispute. To Panettiere’s parents, the battle over her possessions is either a final act of care or a final act of division, depending on which side of the family you stand.
A coroner’s report establishes how a person died, yet it leaves open the questions surrounding it.
Source material: “Hayden Panettiere’s Case Takes A Disturbing Turn As New Details Emerge About The Weeks Before Her Tragic Passing,” Bored Panda.
Get the Notebook.
The day's best stories and every fresh verdict, in plain English, in your inbox by seven. One email a day, no more.