Hayden Panettiere's Final PETA Campaign Highlighted Weeks Before Her Death
Actress Hayden Panettiere appeared in a PETA anti-dolphin captivity campaign shortly before she died at 36, and authorities are continuing investigations into her death.
Actress Hayden Panettiere was featured in a PETA campaign protesting marine-park dolphin captivity in Los Angeles a few weeks before her sudden death at age 36. The campaign showed her standing in a bathtub and included a statement that marine parks "sentence dolphins to a lifetime of suffering and loneliness in captivity," according to the organization.
Panettiere, who had been involved in animal-rights activism since her teens, previously worked with groups such as the Whaleman Foundation and participated in protests against dolphin hunts in Japan. She had also received recognition from Time magazine and the Humane Society for her advocacy.
The actress was found unresponsive in an apartment in Greenville, South Carolina, on Sunday. Emergency responders reported cardiac arrest and were unable to revive her. A preliminary autopsy found no signs of trauma, and the cause and manner of death remain under investigation by the Greenville County Coroner’s Office, the city police, and the Drug Enforcement Administration.
"First responders and Emergency Medical Services arrived on scene and located a female in cardiac arrest," the coroner’s office said.
Authorities have not released further details pending the ongoing investigation.