Hayden Panettiere found 'unresponsive in chair' in bombshell cause of death update

Actress Hayden Panettiere died on Sunday (August 16) at the age of 36. The former child star was reportedly found unresponsive in an armchair by her boyfriend's brother. The actress had been staying at an apartment in Greenville, South Carolina with her on-off boyfriend Brian Hickerson. According to TMZ, Brian's brother Zach found the actress in an armchair at around 1.30pm on Sunday, when Brian was asleep in a bedroom inside the apartment.

The brothers reportedly called 911 after they failed to wake Hayden up. The Greenville Police Department said officers were deployed following a report of an unresponsive female at 1.51pm local time on Sunday.

They said: "Upon arrival, medical assistance was administered; however, the individual, later identified as Hayden Panettiere, was pronounced deceased at the scene. The preliminary investigation has not indicated any signs of foul play or suspicious circumstances. An acquaintance of Ms. Panettiere placed the 911 call."

Emergency service responders reportedly attempted to revive Hayden for an hour.

The coroner said "advanced cardiac life support measures" were performed but "resuscitation efforts were unsuccessful, and the individual was pronounced deceased at 2:32 PM".

Hayden reportedly died after going into cardiac arrest following a suspected overdose as heard in a 911 call to the emergency services.

The Coroner's office confirmed that Hayden's autopsy showed 'no signs of trauma' at the time of her death. It had been reported that the police were responding to a call about a suspected "cardiac arrest". A police report later revealed that both her ex Hickerson and his brother Zach were at the scene at the time of her death.

A preliminary police investigation has confirmed there were no signs of "foul play or suspicious circumstances" when they arrived at her home after a 911 emergency call from an acquaintance of Hayden's.

Hayden was best known for her roles in Heroes and Nashville. Her death was confirmed by her representatives and followed by a statement.

The statement from her father, Skip, read: It is with profound sadness that we share the tragic passing of our beloved Hayden. She was an incredible light and a force of nature who brought immeasurable love and joy to all who knew her and to the millions who watched her onscreen.

Meanwhile, her mother spoke the first time on Tuesday, as she hit out at her daughter's on-off again partner, Brian. She said: "I think Hayden was an amazingly talented person in so many departments and I think young people who grow up in the entertainment industry -- it is a struggle and it's a very challenging industry and it's not unusual for them to sadly find the wrong path."

She also added: "This person in her life that we have been trying to get rid of for quite some time was with her at her death, and that was Brian Hickerson."