Loading...
DEA joins probe into Hayden Panettiere's death
Hayden Panettiere passed away at 36

DEA joins probe into Hayden Panettiere's death

Aug 20, 2026
11:31 am

What's the story

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has joined the investigation into Hayden Panettiere's death, reported ABC News. The agency is working alongside the Greenville Police Department and the local coroner's office in South Carolina, per TMZ. The 36-year-old former child actor died on August 16 under still undetermined circumstances.

Emotional remembrances

Jack Coleman paid tribute to her

Following the news of Panettiere's death, tributes from Hollywood have been pouring in.

Jack Coleman, who played her father on Heroes, shared an emotional tribute on Instagram.

He wrote, "I'm heartbroken. I couldn't begin to put my thoughts into words until now, and they will be inadequate."

"I've loved Hayden since day one of the pilot of Heroes, 20 years ago, when she introduced herself by shouting 'daddy' and throwing her arms around me."

Childhood fame

Christy Carlson Romano drew parallels between childhood fame and ailment

Christy Carlson Romano, the Disney Channel star who played Ren Stevens on Even Stevens and voiced Kim Possible, paid tribute to Panettiere.

In an essay for Elle, she drew a parallel between childhood fame and Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), a brain disease caused by repeated head hits.

She wrote, "The former child actor exists in a category the world does not know how to hold."

"Early fame is like CTE...Not as a diagnosis...As a way of thinking about repeated impact."

ADVERTISEMENT

Personal battles

Panettiere had been open about her battles

Panettiere, who started her career as a child actor, had been open about her battles with depression and alcohol and substance abuse over the years.

Her death comes just months after she released her memoir This Is Me: A Reckoning, where she detailed these struggles.

In the book, she spoke about suffering from severe postpartum depression after giving birth to her daughter Kaya in 2014.

ADVERTISEMENT