Hayden Panettiere was reportedly struggling with addiction: Actress allegedly sought whippets and alcohol at hotel months before her death

Hayden Panettiere had faced a long and highly publicized struggle with addiction, and a recent report has raised fresh questions about her final months. According to Page Six, citing sources, the actress was allegedly dealing with substance-use issues and had attempted to have whippets and alcohol delivered to a hotel about three months ago. The delivery was reportedly stopped by hotel security before it reached her room. Panettiere was found dead at a home in Greenville, South Carolina. She was 36. Panettiere’s on-and-off boyfriend, Brian Hickerson, 37, was reportedly with the actress when she died Sunday.

A newly released police report reportedly states that Hickerson and his brother, Zach, were at the scene as authorities investigated what was believed to be a suspected overdose. Panettiere and Hickerson began their relationship in 2018 and remained together on and off through 2022. Their relationship was highly publicized and included domestic violence allegations, arrests and legal proceedings. Hickerson was convicted of assaulting Panettiere and served time in prison. Despite their troubled past, the two reportedly reconnected in recent months and were seen spending time together again before Panettiere’s death.



In May, the 'Nashville' actress returned to the Tennessee city to promote her memoir, 'This Is Me: A Reckoning', reported the outlet. According to sources cited by Page Six, Panettiere allegedly sought out whippets and alcohol during the visit. One insider claimed she tried to have nitrous oxide delivered to her hotel but was stopped by security. According to the outlet, the source alleged that the delivery contained several industrial-grade nitrous oxide canisters that Panettiere intended to inhale.

Panettiere opened up about her struggles with postpartum depression and substance abuse in her 2026 memoir, 'This Is Me: A Reckoning', months before her death. The Heroes actress welcomed her daughter, Kaya, with former heavyweight boxing champion Wladimir Klitschko in December 2014. In the memoir, Panettiere described the birth as 'traumatic', saying she endured 14 hours of labor, three hours of surgery following a C-section and seven blood transfusions.

Panettiere wrote that she turned to alcohol in the weeks after Kaya's birth, drinking a bottle of wine at night before having a small bottle of Fireball the following morning. When Kaya was 4 months old, during the break between Seasons 3 and 4 of Nashville, Panettiere entered treatment for the first time, leaving her daughter in Klitschko's care. She later sought treatment again at what she described as a 'fancy' facility in Europe.

Panettiere eventually learned that postpartum depression was a major factor in what she had been experiencing, helping her better understand the struggles she had faced after becoming a mother.