EXCLUSIVE: Hayden Panettiere 'Could Have Been Saved' by Intervention
Hayden Panettiere could have been saved if those around her had staged a timely intervention sooner.
Sept. 8 2026, Published 7:30 a.m. ET
Hayden Panettiere reportedly was seeking out whippets and booze just three months before her death, and now one of her final directors reveals the troubled actress' worried team had been discussing an intervention that might have saved her life, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Griff Furst, who directed the 36-year-old Heroes star in the 2025 thriller A Breed Apart, revealed Panettiere's team became so alarmed about her addiction battle that they asked him to take part in an intervention at the time.
Director Says Panettiere 'Deserved Better Company'
Griff Furst said Hayden Panettiere's team asked him to take part in an intervention.
"I said yes, and that intervention did not happen, at least not that I'm aware of, and I wasn't leading the charge on that, and it wouldn't have been appropriate for me," Furst said.
The director confides he watched Panettiere struggle to stay clean during filming and tried to support her efforts to "beat the addiction that she spoke about openly and publicly herself." But he said there were limits to what he could do.
"A producer or director, no matter how certain you are that an actor or crew member is in a bad situation, you don't have the proof, or the benefit of the time to verify it," Furst explained. "You can adjust the schedule, you can collect internal reporting, and you can assign a handler to make sure that that individual is being taken care of as best as they can."
Furst also seemingly takes a swipe at Panettiere's on-off bad-boy beau, Brian Hickerson, 37, saying he witnessed "somebody fighting to stay sober and who deserved better company around them than what I observed."
Mystery Deepens Around Panettiere's Death
Brian Hickerson handed investigators a bag containing medications Panettiere allegedly had been taking.
"I was very lucky to work with Hayden," added the 44-year-old. "I wish she was still here."
Now the mystery surrounding Panettiere's Aug. 16 death in Greenville, S.C., is deepening. The Drug Enforcement Administration has joined local cops in the investigation, while toxicology tests that could determine exactly what killed her are still pending and could take up to eight weeks.
No Foul Play Found in Death
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The DEA has joined local police in the investigation into Panettiere's death.
According to police and media reports, dispatchers referenced a possible overdose, Narcan was found at the scene and Hickerson handed investigators a bag containing medications Panettiere allegedly had been taking. She was pronounced dead shortly after 2:30 p.m.
An autopsy found no trauma, and authorities have reported no evidence of foul play.
Hickerson has since retained an attorney, who said: "Hayden's death remains under investigation, and it is important to allow that investigation to proceed."
