In this doctoral thesis, core-collapse supernova progenitor stars are studied. Different ways to gain information on the progenitor stars of core-collapse supernovae are explored, with an emphasis on using the environments of supernovae. In the articles included in the thesis, various such methods are demonstrated and utilized to constrain the progenitor stars of different types of supernovae. The results have implications for the theory of stellar evolution, especially the relatively poorly understood evolution of stars massive enough to explode as core-collapse supernovae and, in particular, the role of mass loss in such stars.

In Paper I, the associations between different types of core-collapse supernovae and the emission of their strongly star-forming host galaxies at different wavelengths are studied statistically. The radial distributions of these supernova types are also examined and compared to those in normal galaxies. In Paper II, the associations between different types of massive stars and star-forming regions in nearby galaxies are compared to studies using supernovae in an effort to approach the method quantitatively. The connection between type II-P supernovae and red supergiants, as well as results from massive main-sequence stars, are used to verify the validity of the method, and systematic effects are investigated.

In Paper III, the results of a detailed follow-up programme of the interacting type II-L supernova SN 2013fc are presented. The supernova is found to be similar to the well-studied event SN 1998S. The environment of the event is compared to stellar population models, and the progenitor of SN 2013fc is found to be consistent with a massive red supergiant star. Paper IV describes the follow-up of the type Ic superluminous supernova Gaia16apd. Magnetar fits to the light curve are performed. The event is consistent with being powered by the spin-down of a newborn magnetar, and its spectroscopic and photometric evolution intermediate between fast and slow type Ic superluminous supernovae hints at similar origins for all members of this photometrically diverse class.