Hayden Panettiere's cause of death has been identified as an accidental drug overdose, weeks after the Heroes and Nashville actress passed away at 36 in Greenville, South Carolina. The South Carolina coroner's office confirmed the accidental overdose involved fentanyl and the anti-anxiety medication Alprazolam.

The ruling also indicated the presence of a muscle relaxer and an antipsychotic medication, used for major depression and other serious mental health conditions, in her system. A press statement released on Tuesday detailed: "The cause of death has been ruled as toxic effects of fentanyl, 4-ANPP, Alprazolam, Methocarbamol and Quetiapine. The manner of death has been ruled an accident."

A post-mortem examination found "no signs of trauma were discovered that would have contributed to the death." Hayden was discovered unresponsive by emergency services at a temporary apartment on August 16 and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Tributes poured in for the actress following the news of her death, including from her co-stars, Nashville actress Connie Britton, Heroes' Jack Coleman, and Bring It On actress and singer . Hayden began her acting career as a child, appearing in soap operas before gaining wider recognition for her role in the 2000 sports drama Remember The Titans alongside Denzel Washington, and as the voice of Dot in Pixar's 1998 film A Bug's Life.

She later achieved fame playing cheerleader Claire Bennet in Heroes, then starred as aspiring country singer Juliette Barnes for six seasons on Nashville. Her film credits also include 2006's Bring It On: All Or Nothing, Raising Helen, Scream 4, and Scream VI as Kirby Reed. Following her rapid rise to fame, the pressures of the industry took a toll, and she revealed her battle with addiction throughout her 20s.

The actress dated former boxer Wladimir Klitschko from 2009 to 2018, and they welcomed their daughter Kaya in 2014. She granted Klitschko full custody of their now 11-year-old daughter in 2018 amidst her struggles, which she discussed in her memoir This Is Me: A Reckoning, released earlier this year.