As tributes pour in for “Heroes” and “Nashville” star Hayden Panettiere in the wake of her death at 36, police in South Carolina have launched an investigation.
Panettiere, who was also known for her work as a child actor in “Remember the Titans,” was found unresponsive by officers in a home in Greenville at approximately 1:51 p.m. ET on Aug. 16, according to a statement by the Greenville Police Department.
Emergency personnel responded to a 911 call by an acquaintance of Panettiere’s about an unresponsive female at a home in Greenville, police said in the statement. EMS workers then administered medical assistance.
The woman, later identified as Panettiere, was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.
Her death is now under investigation by the Greenville Police Department and Greenville County Coroner’s Office.
“The preliminary investigation has not indicated any signs of foul play or suspicious circumstances,” police said in the statement.
No further details about Panettiere’s cause or manner of death have been released by police.
The actor’s father, Skip Panettiere, also did not indicate her cause of death in a statement on Aug. 16 provided by her representative.
“It is with profound sadness that we share the tragic passing of our beloved Hayden,” her father said in the statement. “She was an incredible light and a force of nature who brought immeasurable love and joy to all who knew her — and to the millions who watched her onscreen. We ask for privacy as our family takes time to process this unimaginable loss.”
Her publicist, Kasey Kitchen, added that police were gathering more information about Panettiere’s death.
“There’s an investigation ongoing,” Kitchen said in a statement Aug. 16. “We should know more tomorrow.”
Panettiere revealed this year that she struggled with undiagnosed postpartum depression and addiction. She gave up custody of her daughter, Kaya, with whom she shares with her ex-fiancè, Ukrainian boxer Wladimir Klitschko.
She also suffered a tragic loss in 2023, when her brother, actor Jansen Panettiere, died of an undiagnosed heart condition. Panettiere described pain and grief of his loss on TODAY in 2024.
“When you lose somebody that you saw in all the important moments in your life, standing right next to you, it just rocks your world,” she said.
She also spoke with People in 2024 about her brother’s death.
