The cause of Hayden Panettiere’s death has finally been revealed, and it features similarities to Mac Miller’s passing.
About a month after actress Hayden Panettiere died, the cause of her death has been revealed, and it appears that she might have been drugged.
TMZ reports that she took a “fatal pill” on the day she died. According to law enforcement sources, it’s believed that the pill was “oxycodone laced with fentanyl.”
Apparently, Panettiere had a “long time drug dealer” in Los Angeles. The dealer had given her “several black-market prescription drugs,” which included oxycodone.
She allegedly took several drugs from the dealer on the flight to South Carolina, where she would tragically pass away. The authorities believe she took the pill that was laced on the morning of her death on Sunday, Aug. 16.
Now, the DEA in Los Angeles is trying to trace the laced pill back to Panettiere’s drug dealer. TMZ notes that the case is similar to Mac Miller’s death, whose drug dealer was convicted of supplying drugs that killed him. Some of them were similarly laced with fentanyl.
Hayden Panettiere’s tragic death
On Aug. 16, Panettiere passed away at 36 years old. According to TMZ, her boyfriend, Brian Hickerson, had given first responders a bag of prescription medications upon their arrival on the scene.
She had flown down to South Carolina from Los Angeles the day before her death with Hickerson. At the time, TMZ had reported that she had allegedly been “complaining about back pain” leading up to her passing.
Panettiere first gained notoriety for roles in soap operas One Life to Live and Guiding Light. She also earned a Grammy nomination for her spoken word album A Bug’s Life Read-Along.
In the coming years, Panettiere would star in movies like Remember the Titans and Scream 4. She would return to the Scream franchise in the sixth movie in 2023. Additionally, she is known for her roles in TV series Heroes and Nashville. Her last movie, Sleepwalker, was released on Jan. 9, 2026. She was an executive producer of the project as well.
About a month after actress Hayden Panettiere died, the cause of her death has been revealed, and it appears that she might have been drugged. TMZ reports that she took a “fatal pill” on the day she died. According to law enforcement sources, it’s believed that the pill was “oxycodone laced with fentanyl.