American actress Hayden Panettiere suffered a cardiac arrest following a suspected overdose at an apartment in South Carolina, according to 911 dispatch audio.
Panettiere’s unidentified friend called 911 at 1:51 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 16, from an apartment in Greenville, South Carolina, to report an “unresponsive female” in “cardiac arrest”, according to dispatch audio obtained by The Post.
Responding paramedics attempted to resuscitate the 36-year-old actress using advanced cardiac life support, which can include breathing tubes, defibrillators and emergency medication.
Several minutes later, another emergency medical technician said they were responding to a possible “overdose” at the same address, adding that “CPR is in progress”.
Panettiere was pronounced dead at 2:32 p.m., five days before her 37th birthday.
It was unclear who placed the 911 call. Police said she was found by an “acquaintance” but did not disclose the person’s identity.
She reportedly flew out of Los Angeles with her on-off boyfriend, Brian Hickerson, on Saturday. However, it was unclear whether he was the person who found her.
Police said there were no “signs of foul play” and that an autopsy would be conducted.
Panettiere’s death came three months after she published her memoir, “This Is Me: A Reckoning”, in which she opened up about her struggles with alcohol and opioid addiction, postpartum depression, domestic abuse and the pressures of growing up in Hollywood.
Panettiere began working as a child, appearing in commercials at 11 months old before landing roles on the television soap operas “One Life to Live” and “Guiding Light”.
She later gained recognition for voicing Princess Dot in the 1998 animated film “A Bug’s Life” and appeared in films including “Remember the Titans”, “Ice Princess”, “Racing Stripes” and “Bring It On: All or Nothing”.
She became a household name for her role as Claire Bennet in the television series “Heroes”, which premiered in 2006.
In recent years, Panettiere spoke openly about her struggles with drug and alcohol addiction.
In 2022, she revealed that she was 15 when she was first offered “happy pills” before appearing on the red carpet.
“They were to make me peppy during interviews,” she told People.
“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 also battled postpartum depression after welcoming her daughter, Kaya, whom she shared with former fiancé Wladimir Klitschko in December 2014. She checked into a rehabilitation facility in October 2015.
Panettiere returned to rehabilitation in 2020 and spent eight months receiving treatment for alcohol and drug addiction.
In “This Is Me: A Reckoning”, she recalled that doctors had warned she could die within five years if she did not stop drinking.
