Drug cocktail killed former child star Hayden Panettiere: coroner

SOUTH CAROLINA - Actress Hayden Panettiere, who starred in the popular TV series "Heroes" and "Nashville," died from a cocktail of drugs that included fentanyl, a US coroner said Tuesday.

The 36-year-old former child star was discovered unresponsive at a home in South Carolina last month, reportedly by long-term partner Brian Hickerson and his brother.

US media said Hickerson handed paramedics a bag of medications as they gave the unconscious Panettiere Narcan, a drug used to counter the effects of a fentanyl overdose, but she was declared dead at the scene.

The Greenville County Coroner's Office said Tuesday an autopsy showed no signs of trauma and classified the death as an accident.

Tests revealed the cause of death to be the toxic effects of fentanyl, in combination with a generic version of Xanax, a muscle relaxant, and an anti-psychotic drug.