Who Supplied Drugs to Hayden Panettiere? ‘Heroes’ and ‘Nashville’ Star Died After Taking Just Single ‘Fentanyl-Laced Oxy Pill’ as Cops Look for Drug Dealer

Hayden Panettiere died after taking a single pill believed to have been laced with oxycodone with fentanyl, according to a report on Monday. Authorities are also said to be “zeroing in” on the person suspected of supplying the drug.

The actress may have met her “long-term drug dealer” in Los Angeles before traveling to South Carolina, multiple law enforcement sources familiar with the case told TMZ. She died there from a suspected overdose on Aug. 16, shortly before her 37th birthday. Panettiere appears to have taken a single pill on the day she died, but it was fatal because it was laced with fentanyl, 50 times more potent than heroin.

Police Look for Drug Dealer

Panettiere’s death is being treated as a suspected overdose, although authorities have yet to reveal her official cause of death. Officials previously said toxicology testing could take as long as 12 weeks.

The latest development comes as investigators reportedly focus on a possible drug dealer who may have supplied the substance involved in her death. Drug Enforcement Administration officials in Los Angeles and South Carolina are investigating the case, according to TMZ.

Panettiere’s on-and-off former partner, Brian Hickerson, was reportedly with her during the flight to South Carolina and at the apartment where she died. He has since met with DEA officials, according to reports.

It remains unclear what Hickerson told investigators. He had previously informed police that Panettiere had a “bag of medication” with her.

The Greenville City Police report reportedly redacted the names of the drugs Panettiere was taking, although it indicated there were nine different medications.

Best known for her performances in “Heroes” and “Nashville,” Panettiere had previously spoken publicly about her struggles with addiction. She detailed those experiences in her memoir, “This is Me: A Reckoning,” which was released three months before her death.

Always Open about Her Struggles

Panettiere had previously spoken openly about her struggles with alcohol, opioid addiction and postpartum depression. She recalled that she was only 15 when someone from her team gave her what she called “happy pills” before a red-carpet appearance.

“They were to make me peppy during interviews,” she told People magazine in 2022.

“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.”

Panettiere said her struggles with addiction became more severe after she joined “Heroes” as a 16-year-old actress. “But things kept getting out of control [off set],” she admitted.

“And as I got older, the drugs and alcohol became something I almost couldn’t live without.”

After giving birth to her daughter, Kaya, in 2014, Panettiere turned to alcohol while dealing with postpartum depression. Kaya’s father is former heavyweight boxing champion Wladimir Klitschko.

Her drinking also took a serious toll on her health, with the actress developing jaundice, a condition that can cause the skin and whites of the eyes to turn yellow and may be linked to liver problems.

“Doctors told me my liver was going to give out,” she said.

She later revealed in her memoir that a doctor gave her a stark warning about the consequences of continuing to drink. “A doctor told me that if I didn’t stop drinking, I’d be dead within five years,” she revealed in her book.