The battle to save Hayden Panettiere’s life after her overdose has been revealed in newly-released 911 audio.
Panettiere died aged 36 on August 16 at a residence in Greenville, South Carolina, from the ‘toxic effects’ of multiple drugs – including fentanyl. Her death was accidental.
Her boyfriend Brian Hickerson and his brother Zach were present at the scene when she was pronounced dead.
The audio, obtained by CBS, begins with Zach exclaiming ‘oh God, oh my God!’ as he waits to speak with a dispatcher.
Zach says, ‘I walked in after church to my brother and his girlfriend’s apartment and she’s unconscious.’ He adds that Brian woke up but Panettiere did not.
Zach says that Panettiere is not breathing. Dispatchers then ask Zack if he has a defibrillator and he questions whether an apartment complex would have the life-saving equipment.
The desperate struggle to save Hayden Panettiere’s life after her overdose has been revealed in newly-released 911 audio – pictured 2022
Panettiere’s on-off boyfriend Brian Hickerson (above together) and his brother, Zach, were both at the scene when the actress was pronounced dead
He and Brian are instructed to ‘start CPR’ as someone exclaims in the background.
One of the brother is instructed to put his phone on speaker – while the dispatcher gives instructions. He is told to breathe into Panettiere’s mouth and give chest compressions.
Tension is heard rising on the audio clip as the dispatcher instructs the brothers to lay Panettiere ‘flat on her back and remove anything from under her head.’
As the dispatcher pauses, one of the brothers exclaims, ‘what do we do!” before instructions continue.
‘Oh my god! I know how to do this! How many times!’, one of the brothers calls out during the CPR instructions, before a shout of ‘come on!’ is heard in the background.
The call ends with emergency services arriving at the scene and taking over the ultimately futile resuscitation efforts.
Panettiere was staying at an Airbnb with the Hickerson brothers.
In August, detectives confirmed to the Daily Mail that they responded to a 911 call from an ‘acquaintance’ of Panettiere, who described her as ‘unresponsive.’
Narcan, a nasal spray used to reverse the effects of an opioid overdose, was found on a mattress in the loft apartment where the actress was staying, TMZ previously reported. However the call audio does not mention Narcan being administered.
According to the Greenville Police Department’s incident report, Zach told police that Brian was sleeping in a separate room of the Airbnb when he arrived and found the actress unresponsive in a chair.
Zach stated that Brian administered Narcan – a medication that reverses opioid overdoses – and that they performed CPR while communicating with 911 dispatchers.
Panettiere is survived by daughter Kaya, whom she welcomed during her nine-year romance with ex-fiance Wladimir Klitschko, 50
Panettiere died aged 36 on August 16 at a residence in Greenville, South Carolina, from the ‘toxic effects’ of multiple drugs – including fentanyl. Her death was accidental – pictured May 2026
Tension is heard rising on the audio clip as the dispatcher instructs the brothers to lay Panettiere ‘flat on her back and remove anything from under her head’ – pictured 2009
Panettiere is survived by Kaya, whom she welcomed during her nine-year romance with ex-fiance Wladimir Klitschko, 50.
In 2018, Panettiere signed full custody of her daughter, Kaya, to her ex amid her battle with postpartum depression and addiction and Wladimir moved the toddler to his native Ukraine.
Panettiere began acting as a child, appearing in soap operas, then gained wider recognition for her role in the 2000 sports drama Remember the Titans with Denzel Washington, and as the voice of Dot in Pixar’s 1998 film A Bug’s Life.
Panettiere later found fame playing cheerleader Claire Bennet in the superhero drama Heroes before starring as country singer Juliette Barnes for six seasons on Nashville.
She earned two Golden Globe nominations for best supporting actress on the show, while her singing produced 11 entries on the US Billboard Hot Country Songs charts.
Panettiere’s film credits include 2006’s Bring It On: All or Nothing, the comedy-drama film Raising Helen, and appearances in Scream 4 and Scream VI as Kirby Reed.
