American actress Hayden Panettiere, known for her role in the Scream horror film franchise, died after taking oxycodone laced with fentanyl, according to entertainment outlet TMZ.
Panettiere swallowed a fatal pill on the day she died, and police sources cited by TMZ believe it was oxycodone cut with fentanyl, a powerful opioid painkiller.
Drug dealer supplied black-market pills
TMZ said all of its sources were connected to the case and had direct knowledge of it. The outlet reported that Panettiere had a longtime drug dealer in Los Angeles who supplied her with several medications from the black market, including oxycodone.
TMZ reported it had been told that Panettiere took several drugs bought from her dealer during a flight from Los Angeles to South Carolina, the day before she died.
The Drug Enforcement Administration in Los Angeles is now working to reconstruct the relationship between Panettiere and her dealer as it tries to trace the origin of the fatal pill.
A career that began in childhood
Panettiere, who was also a model and singer, died in August at the age of 36. She began her career as a child star and went on to build a long career in television and film.
She is best remembered for playing Claire Bennet in the hit series Heroes, and especially for her role as Juliette Barnes in the musical drama Nashville, which earned her two Golden Globe nominations. She starred in the show for 128 episodes between 2012 and 2018.
Panettiere also appeared in Remember the Titans, Raising Helen, Ice Princess and Scream 4.
She wrote openly about her struggles
Panettiere spoke openly about personal difficulties she faced from childhood into adulthood in her memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning, published in May.
The actress was found in cardiac and respiratory arrest when emergency services arrived at a residence in the Judson Mill Lofts complex in Greenville, South Carolina, after responding to an emergency call.
A preliminary autopsy ruled out signs of violence.
