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Zach Hickerson, brother of Hayden Panettiereand again, again, Brian Hickerson, her boyfriend, tried CPR on the actress before she declared deadthe 911 call was released.
Panettiere, known for her roles as a child actor in “Remember the Titans” and later in the TV series “Heroes” and “Nashville,” was found unconscious at her Greenville, South Carolina, residence on the afternoon of August 16 by Zach and Brian Hickerson, according to a police report and the 911 call obtained by CBS News. She was pronounced dead at the scene, despite “advanced cardiac life support measures,” the Greenville County Coroner’s Office said at the time. She was 36.
An autopsy found Panettiere’s death accidental and ruled the cause to be the “toxic effects” of the drugs fentanyl, 4-ANPP, alprazolam, methocarbamol and quetiapine.
Zach Hickerson, who said on the 911 call that he had come over to the couple’s home after church, told the 911 operator that Panettiere did not appear to be breathing. The operator asked if they had a defibrillator, but Zach Hickerson said he didn’t know if there was one in the apartment building. The operator then told Zach Hickerson to start CPR and instructed him on how to perform chest compressions and mouth-to-mouth until emergency medical services arrived.
Zach Hickerson too TMZ said a few days later Brian Hickerson gave Panettiere Narcana medication that can reverse opioid overdoses, after finding them unconscious.
Panettiere has spoken openly about her struggles with substance abuse, telling People magazine in 2022 that she became addicted to opioids and alcohol in her teens. In her 2026 memoir, “This Is Me: A Reckoning,” she wrote about her experiences with addiction, physical abuse, postpartum depression and recovery.
Baker Gayle King told CBS News in May that she hoped her story would help others.
“I really wanted to share with the world that they don’t have to be afraid. That they can live the truth. They can be imperfect,” she said in the interview. When asked how she was doing, she replied, “Still working on myself all the time. I had a great therapist and I’m – I’m better, healthier than I’ve been in a long time.”
