Hayden Panettiere Dies at 36 Months After Trachtenberg

Actress Hayden Panettiere has died at age 36 in Greenville, South Carolina, 18 months after her Ice Princess co-star Michelle Trachtenberg died.

Panettiere passed away on Sunday, August 16, following an apparent overdose. Emergency responders found Narcan in the apartment where she died, and 911 audio obtained on Monday revealed that the Heroes star went into cardiac arrest following a suspected overdose.

On Monday, the Greenville County Sheriff's Office announced that an autopsy had been completed and revealed no signs of trauma on Panettiere's body. Further investigations will be conducted to determine her exact cause of death.

Greenville County chief deputy coroner Shelton England told the Daily Mail that it was too early to discuss the drug overdose theory. Officials noted it remains unclear whether the Narcan discovered inside the apartment was used in an attempt to revive the actress.

Trachtenberg Death and Allegations

Panettiere's sudden passing comes 18 months after her former co-star Michelle Trachtenberg died in February 2025 at the age of 39. Trachtenberg was found dead in her New York City apartment near Columbus Circle by her mother, according to police sources cited by ABC News at the time.

Her cause of death was later confirmed to be due to complications from diabetes mellitus. However, last month, Rosie O'Donnell claimed that Trachtenberg had been battling drug and alcohol addiction prior to her death.

Reports also indicated that Trachtenberg had recently undergone a liver transplant after dealing with alcohol issues, and she may have been experiencing complications prior to her death.

Disney Ice Princess Success

Panettiere and Trachtenberg defined an era for a generation of young moviegoers when they shared the screen in Disney's 2005 hit coming-of-age sports drama Ice Princess, directed by Tim Fywell.

Trachtenberg starred as high school student Casey Carlyle, who discovers a passion for figure skating while researching a physics project. Panettiere played Gen Harwood, the daughter of local ice skating rink manager Tina Harwood, played by Kim Cattrall.

In the film, Tina Harwood initially schemes to sabotage Casey to help her own daughter advance. However, the on-screen rivals eventually forge a close bond, with Gen helping Casey build her confidence as a skater.

The film earned $25.7 million during its theatrical run, cementing both lead actresses as fixtures of 2000s teen cinema. The movie also starred Joan Cusack and Trevor Blumas.

Trachtenberg previously spoke about the friendship between Casey and Gen during a 2006 interview with Disney Movie Surfers. "Gen is the star skater, and Casey admires her for her technique and ability," Trachtenberg said. "[They] develop a friendship throughout the film, and Gen helps Casey realize that she really is a great skater."

Figure Skating and Behind the Scenes

In a 2019 interview, Panettiere revealed that she performed most of her own figure skating in the movie. "I actually taught myself a scratch spin, which is the really fast blur spins," Panettiere said. "There's one at the end of the performance in the movie that I do and they actually show it. It's me and I'm so excited!"

She added that a stunt double handled the most complex moves. "But I did learn most of my tricks, except for the triples, for which I had a brilliant double," she explained. "The weirdest thing about it was that she spun and jumped to the left, and I did it to the right. So, I had to relearn everything and do it all to the left, which was a little bit of a pain in the rear."

When asked if her personality mirrored her character or Trachtenberg's, Panettiere reflected on her everyday style and interests. "You know, I think I'm somewhere in the middle," she said. "I am more of a laid back girl than Gen is. She's definitely a girly girl, very into her looks."

"I'm not saying that I'm not, but I definitely like sweat pants and my comfy clothes - my Uggs and my pajamas," Panettiere continued. "But I like school and I'm pretty good at school. I get A's. I do like science, too. I love science and I can do math relatively [well]."

Panettiere also recalled working alongside Cattrall on set. "She's such a sweet person and she's really good in this film," she said. "She and I have the same birthday, so it was exciting. I and Kim have the same birthday, and Joan [Cusack] and Michelle have the same birthday. Crazy!"

Hollywood Careers and Red Carpet Reunion

Both Panettiere and Trachtenberg began their acting careers as child stars before expanding into prominent television roles. Trachtenberg starred in Harriet the Spy as a child before earning acclaim on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Gossip Girl. Panettiere achieved early recognition in Remember the Titans alongside Denzel Washington before starring in Heroes and Nashville.

Panettiere also endured a dark romance with Brian Hickerson, which was marked by haunting statements regarding beatings from her boyfriend.

In 2011, six years after making Ice Princess, the former co-stars reunited at a charity fashion event in New York City. Panettiere and Trachtenberg posed together on the red carpet at the unveiling of Stuart Weitzman's Young Hollywood Cares Collection, a shoe line co-created by young stars to benefit ovarian cancer research.

Tributes from Co-Stars and Fans

Tributes poured in following the news of Panettiere's death. Her on-screen mother Kim Cattrall posted a photo of them together on Instagram, writing: "Rest in peace sweet Hayden. Gone far too soon."

Actress Blake Lively shared a montage of clips from Ice Princess to her Instagram Stories, writing: "Be. Kind. You never know what others are going through. Thank you to both these women for all the joy you brought."

Fans on social media platform X also shared messages remembering both actresses. One fan posted a photo from the film, writing: "First michelle trachtenberg now hayden panettiere. I'm so sad, I can't believe this, my ice princesses both gone." Another wrote: "my ice princesses both gone."

Other users added: "Now they are both together," and "My sweet young girls." Another fan expressed: "Two beautiful souls, two faces we grew up watching, and memories that will forever live on through the characters they brought to life. Some moments from our childhood become so much more emotional when you realize how precious those moments really were. Rest peacefully."

Additional tributes read: "I hope my Ice Princesses are finally hanging out again," and "hayden panettiere is now in heaven ice skating alongside michelle trachtenberg. rest in peace you beautiful angels." Another fan wrote: "Both Michelle Trachtenberg and Hayden Panettiere gone...this hurts so badly."