Why child stars like Hayden Panettiere fall into addiction
The sudden death of actress Hayden Panettiere at age 36 has prompted a renewed public conversation regarding the pressures faced by child stars in Hollywood. Reports indicate that authorities are investigating the role of substance abuse in her passing, following her own public admissions about past addiction struggles.
Why it matters
It highlights the systemic mental health and substance abuse risks prevalent in the entertainment industry for individuals who achieve fame at a young age.
Share Save Add as preferred on Google Madeline Halpert Getty Images Hayden Panettiere's death at the age of 36 was announced earlier this week Hayden Panettiere was 16 when drugs first arrived in her life in Hollywood.
Ahead of a red carpet event for the hit series Heroes, she has said someone on her team handed her a pill to help amp up her energy. The hit sci-fi NBC series had catapulted the teen into a household name - and that brought with it intense pressure and exhaustion she says felt overwhelming.
"Within minutes, a wave of energy washed over me, like I'd just woken up from the most refreshing night's sleep of my life," Panettiere wrote about that pill in her memoir, which was released just months before her death.
She called it "the gateway drug that ushered me toward the good of pharmaceuticals and the downfall of addiction".
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