As Hayden Panettiere was breathing her last in a Judson Mill Lofts apartment in Greenville, South Carolina, other residents of the complex had no idea she was even there.
The Heroes and Nashville actress succumbed to a cardiac arrest on Sunday, August 16, 2026, at the young age of 36, leaving her fans and colleagues in shock.
Panettiere, who had been acting since she was 4, struggled with substance use, a drinking problem, severe mental health issues throughout her career, and faced domestic violence in her relationships.
Highlights
- Actress Hayden Panettiere passed away on Sunday after a cardiac arrest, with reports linking it to possible intoxication.
- A neighbor shared the “jarring” details surrounding the circumstances of her demise.
- At the time of her passing, Panettiere was reportedly with her ex-boyfriend, who had been given a protective order against her in 2021.
Now, a tenant of the apartment complex where her life ended has shared their side of the story about the harrowing incident.
“I was shocked, as I’m sure everyone in Greenville was,” the neighbor said.
A neighbor saw two men “in shock” outside the apartment where Hayden Panettiere passed away
A resident of Judson Mills Lofts told Page Six that they had not seen Panettiere in their luxury complex, and did not know she was living there.
However, they suspected the apartment was an Airbnb rental, which the outlet reported to be true.
The tenant saw police officers at the apartment from around noon to 8 p.m. on Sunday, and then witnessed the coroner’s vehicle arrive, and assumed that someone had passed away.
They did not know it was someone famous before the “shocking” news of Panettiere’s demise broke on Sunday night.
“I don’t know that she was there long, and I’m not sure she even ever left the apartment,” the neighbor said. “I can only speak for myself, but you know, I never saw her, and I haven’t spoken to anyone else who said they have.”
“It’s still kind of jarring to hear that someone of her stature was here and then that tragically happened to her.”
The resident also saw two men “sitting outside the apartment” with the cops: “They looked like they were in shock, not speaking, and had their heads down.”
They added that the property managers of Judson Mills Lofts have sent out messages asking tenants to keep them informed about the circumstances and any updates surrounding Panettiere’s demise.
However, they have assured the tenants that “it wasn’t anything criminal and that there’s no reason for anyone to be scared,” the resident said.
Hayden Panettiere’s demise might have involved substance intoxication
According to TMZ, Panettiere took a flight to South Carolina the day before she passed and joined her on-and-off boyfriend Brian Hickerson and her brother at Judson Mill Lofts.
Things turned south on Sunday afternoon as authorities responded to a 911 call at 1:51 p.m. and found her unresponsive inside the apartment unit.
They attempted to resuscitate the Scream actress using CPR and then advanced cardiac life support, but in vain.
Panettiere was pronounced deceased by the medical personnel at the scene at 2:32 p.m.
While the cause of her demise has not yet been officially announced, the 911 dispatch audio reportedly included mentions of “ove**ose.”
However, authorities have stressed that there is currently no indication of foul play.
Panettiere’s heartbreaking demise comes just three years after the passing of her younger brother, Jansen, who succumbed to complications associated with an enlarged heart.
Hayden Panettiere had to give up custody of her daughter due to mental health struggles
Panettiere’s struggle with substances began as early as 15 when someone on her professional team gave her “happy pills,” she told Vanity Fair in 2022. Over time, the dependence escalated from prescription opioids to drinking and took a serious shape.
She developed postpartum depression after giving birth to Kaya, her daughter with former fiancé Wladimir Klitschko, in 2014. Her childbirth involved a difficult labor and multiple blood transfusions as well.
Her mental health deteriorated to the point where she relinquished full custody of her daughter to Klitschko in 2018, the same year their engagement was over.
“It was a nightmare,” she told US Weekly at the time about signing the custody papers. “It was a living nightmare, and I felt so out of control. There’s nothing that I could do about it.”
Panettiere started dating Brian Hickerson in 2018 and shared a tumultuous relationship, including multiple alleged incidents of domestic violence.
In 2021, Hickerson pleaded no contest to a domestic violence charge and was sentenced to 45 days in jail, four years of formal probation, 52 domestic violence classes, $500 in restitution, and a five-year protective order.
In her 2026 memoir, This is Me: A Reckoning, Panettiere claimed Hickerson slammed her head into a wall and beat her face so badly she couldn’t leave her house for weeks.
Their relationship seemingly ended in 2020, but they didn't stop seeing each other despite the protective order, as Panettiere allowed Hickerson to “make amends” after he got out of prison, he said at the time.
"We lost her too soon." The internet mourned as Hayden Panettiere passed away at 36
