Actress Hayden Panettiere, known for her roles in "Heroes" and "Nashville," was pronounced dead at her home in Greenville, South Carolina, on Sunday afternoon. Dispatch audio obtained by TMZ indicates that emergency services were called to her address shortly after 1:50 p.m. on reports of a person in "cardiac arrest" and an "unresponsive female."
During the same dispatch, an EMT reported arriving at the scene following a suspected "overdose," and that CPR was in progress. Paramedics reportedly employed advanced cardiac life support in an attempt to save the 36-year-old actress's life. She was pronounced dead at the scene at 2:32 p.m., approximately 40 minutes after the initial 911 call. It remains unclear if her on-again, off-again boyfriend, Brian Hickerson, placed the call.
In recent years, Panettiere had been open about her struggles with alcohol and drug addiction. She recalled in a 2022 interview with People that at age 15, she was offered "happy pills" to appear more energetic during interviews, a situation she now recognizes as a gateway to her addiction. "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," she stated.
Following the birth of her daughter, Kaya, with former fiancé Wladimir Klitschko in December 2014, Panettiere also spoke about her battle with postpartum depression. In October 2015, she entered a rehabilitation facility for eight months to receive treatment for alcohol and drug addiction. She previously shared that she was told she could die within five years if she did not stop drinking.