Hayden Panettiere, 36, Found Unresponsive at Home — 911 Audio Reveals What Paramedics Heard in Her Final Minutes

The actress was found unresponsive inside a South Carolina residence on Sunday, August 16, 2026, triggering an emergency response that ended when she was pronounced dead at 36.

Dispatch audio obtained by multiple outlets offers a clearer picture of the medical emergency involving Hayden Panettiere and what responders were told as they rushed to the Greenville home.

A friend called 911 at 1:51 p.m. to say Hayden was unresponsive, according to TMZ. Police and emergency medical workers quickly arrived and began efforts to revive her.

Paramedics performed chest compressions and advanced cardiac life support. TMZ explained that the treatment can include medication, airway support, and heart-rhythm monitoring. Page Six added that epinephrine was used during the resuscitation attempt.

The 911 Audio Revealed What Responders Were Told

The dispatch audio described the patient as an "unidentified female" in "cardiac arrest," according to Page Six.

Within minutes, the audio indicated that CPR was in progress for an "overdose." TMZ likewise said medics were sent to perform CPR on someone who had overdosed.

Narcan, a medication used to reverse opioid overdoses, was found on a mattress inside the residence, according to Page Six, which cited TMZ. However, neither outlet established that an overdose was officially confirmed as Hayden's cause of death.

Despite continued efforts to save her, Hayden, a mother of one, was pronounced dead at 2:32 p.m.

Police said there were no initial signs of foul play and that the circumstances did not appear suspicious. TMZ added that the Greenville County coroner would conduct an autopsy to determine the cause and manner of death.

Hayden's Friends and Co-Stars Share Personal Memories

Tributes continued to come in from people who knew Hayden personally and professionally.

Bethany Joy Lenz shared photos spanning Hayden's childhood and adult years. The two met while working on "Guiding Light," when Hayden was still a child. Bethany remembered being struck by her intelligence and ability to understand complex scenes at such a young age.

Their paths continued to cross over the next 26 years, though plans to spend more time together often never materialized. Bethany said Hayden had recently appeared to be moving into a better period of her life, making the news even harder to comprehend.

"I dont understand how this is real. Everything seemed to be turning around. She was coming BACK to life, wasn't she? It's too young and there's still so much more life. And her daughter…. Hayden, you are surround by love," Bethany wrote. She said she was praying for Hayden and expressed regret over the times she had not reached out.

Beth Chamberlin, who played Hayden's on-screen mother on "Guiding Light" for three years, recalled her remarkable abilities as a child performer. Beth said Hayden could memorize more than 20 pages of dialogue at a time and adjust to last-minute changes without forgetting lines or missing her blocking.

She called Hayden "the most brilliant child actor" she had ever seen and said she felt fortunate to have worked with her.

Viola Davis remembered Hayden as an "amazing talent" with a "deep heart." The Oscar winner, who worked with Hayden on "Custody," said she had watched her emerge from difficult periods with renewed strength and believed her experiences had become part of her legacy.

"Julius and I loved working with you....an old, wise soul with such a deep heart. I wish the world had more time with you because I had a burning curiosity about who you were becoming," she wrote.

Writer and producer Bryan Fuller reflected on Hayden's impact on "Heroes," where she played Claire Bennet. Bryan said Hayden was more than an actress to him, describing her as a muse who left an "indelible mark" on his work as a writer and storyteller.

Hayden's hairstylist, Erick Orellana, remembered the person behind the public image. He wrote about her laughter, kindness, and friendship, describing her as a mother, daughter, sister, survivor, and someone whose energy affected those around her.

"She was one of the kindest, most honest, and loving human beings I had the honor of calling a friend. The world has lost a beautiful soul, but heaven has gained a new angel," he said.

Podcaster and author Jay Shetty said his friendship with Hayden had only recently begun. In a comment on Variety's Instagram post, he wrote, "I can't believe it. Our friendship had just begun and I was so moved by the conversation we shared earlier this year. My love and condolences to her family and fans 🙏🙏🙏."

Wladimir Klitschko Shares Striking Message in Wake of Hayden's Death

Former heavyweight boxing champion Wladimir Klitschko, Hayden's ex-fiancé and the father of her daughter, posted a message about resilience on X on the day of her death.

Separate from the public messages that followed Hayden's death, attention also turned to a health issue she had been managing during the final year of her life.

The Health Issue She'd Been Managing for a Year

A source close to Hayden told TMZ she had reportedly been complaining about back pain for the past year — a detail that adds new context to a scene captured just five months before her death.

In March 2026, Hayden was photographed leaving Los Angeles International Airport on crutches, with her on-and-off boyfriend, Brian Hickerson, at her side as he rolled her carry-on.

Her representative addressed the sighting in a statement to E! News: "Hayden has been privately managing a temporary nerve condition, which is the reason she was seen using crutches. She is recovering well and is on the mend."

Hayden herself offered a brief explanation in footage obtained by TMZ as she loaded her luggage into a car. "Just had some pinched nerves in my lower back, but I'm feeling good," she said. Sources close to the situation insisted at the time that despite stepping out together, Hayden and Brian were "just friends."

Her Statement Amid Claims She Abandoned Her Daughter

Months before her death, Hayden addressed a different kind of pain — accusations that had trailed her for years. Speaking on Jay's podcast in May 2026, she pushed back directly against claims that she had given up custody of her daughter, Kaya, and walked away.

"The idea that anybody would think that I would just give away my child and be okay with it is heartbreaking," she said, "couldn't be further from the truth."

Kaya, whom Hayden shares with Wladimir, has lived primarily in Europe since she was roughly two and a half years old, after Klitschko decided it would be best for her. Hayden said the decision devastated her at the time. "I went like a mother lion," she said. "I would have burnt the world down for my child."

She explained that by the time she felt healthy enough to fight the arrangement, Kaya had already built a life abroad — friends, extracurricular activities, and fluency in multiple languages. Pulling her out of it, Hayden said, would have been selfish.

"She in no way feels abandoned — and that's something that I've made sure to stay on top of and be very aware of," she said.

Why She 'Sought Treatment'

The custody arrangement traced back to a period Hayden described as one of the hardest of her life. She told Shetty she had been battling postpartum depression, anxiety, and substance abuse in the years following Kaya's birth, and that she made the choice herself to get help.

"The misconception is that I have been in the past forced into treatment when, in fact, I have been the one who sought it out," she said.

She described losing herself while trying to act her way through the depression, saying the people around her, including Klitschko, didn't initially understand what was happening.

"I didn't know what was going on," she said. What followed, she explained, was years of cycling through depression, anxiety, alcoholism, and substance abuse as she searched for a way out.

Hayden had spoken about this period before. In an April 2023 interview with The New York Times, she recalled a moment when she no longer recognized herself. "My eyes were yellow," she said, adding that doctors told her at 27 that her liver was failing and she was septic.

She left "Nashville" during its fourth season in 2015 to enter treatment. She re-entered treatment again in 2021 for eight months. By the time of that Times interview, she said she'd been sober for nearly two years.

A Family Already Familiar With Loss

Hayden's death comes just over three years after her only sibling, Jansen Panettiere, died unexpectedly at 28. The family confirmed at the time, in a statement to CNN, that a medical examiner cited cardiomegaly, or an enlarged heart, coupled with aortic valve complications as the cause.

Jansen had followed his sister into acting as a child, later building a career as a voice actor best known for playing Shovelmouth in 2006's "Ice Age: The Meltdown."

Hayden spoke about the toll of that loss in a September 2024 appearance on Today, admitting she still wasn't sure she'd fully processed it.

"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. "I want to leave this world a better place in his name."