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Zach Hickerson, the brother of Hayden Panettiere‘s on-again, off-again boyfriend, Brian Hickerson, attempted CPR on the actress before she was declared dead, a 911 call revealed.
Panettiere, known for her roles as a child actor in “Remember the Titans” and later the TV series “Heroes” and “Nashville,” was found unconscious at her Greenville, South Carolina, residence on the afternoon of Aug. 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 that Panettiere’s death was accidental and ruled that the cause was 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 begin CPR and gave him instructions on how to perform chest compressions and mouth-to-mouth until emergency medical services could arrive.
Zach Hickerson also told TMZ a few days later that Brian Hickerson gave Panettiere Narcan, a medication that can reverse opioid overdoses, after they found her unconscious.
Roy Rochlin/FilmMagic/Getty 
Panettiere had 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 experience with addiction, physical abuse, postpartum depression and recovery.
Panettiere told CBS News’ Gayle King in May that she hoped sharing 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 their truth. They can be imperfect,” she said in the interview. 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.”
