Hayden Panettiere’s mother, Lesley Vogel, has spoken publicly for the first time since the actor’s death, expressing concerns about Panettiere’s relationship with her on-again, off-again boyfriend Brian Hickerson. Vogel said that Hickerson was with Panettiere when she went into cardiac arrest and said her family had been trying to distance him from her daughter for years.“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,” Vogel told NBC News.
Brian Hickerson was reportedly at Panettiere’s apartment when she died
Hickerson and his brother, Zach, were reportedly inside the Greenville, South Carolina, apartment complex where Panettiere went into cardiac arrest. According to a police report cited by NBC News, Zach was described as “very emotional”, while Brian remained composed until emergency medical personnel pronounced Panettiere dead.During the encounter, Hickerson reportedly produced a “bag of medication” that he told police Panettiere had been taking.Panettiere’s cause of death remains under investigation, according to the Greenville County Coroner’s Office. An autopsy conducted Monday reportedly found “no signs of trauma … that would have contributed to the death.”
Hayden Panettiere’s mother says family had long been concerned about Hickerson
Vogel said her family’s concerns about Hickerson predated Panettiere’s death by several years.“There is a lot of history in the past that Brian has enabled Hayden many times and this is why her father and I had been concerned for a long time about him and frankly, his family,” she told NBC News. “It’s not just him, it’s his family. We are trying to get information.”Vogel also said she was not aware of all the details surrounding the police investigation and planned to speak with detectives before drawing conclusions.“We had been concerned about this for many years,” she said. “At this point, I am not launching a private investigation. It might change, I don’t know yet. Depends on the facts I receive. I feel I owe her that.”
Panettiere and Hickerson had a history of alleged domestic abuse
Panettiere began dating Hickerson after a stint in rehab in 2018. In her memoir This Is Me: A Reckoning, released in May 2026, she described alleged abuse during their relationship, including an incident in which she said Hickerson beat her to the point that she did not feel comfortable leaving her home for weeks.Hickerson was arrested in 2019 following an allegation of injuring a spouse or girlfriend, according to Los Angeles County criminal court records. Panettiere sought a restraining order against him in 2020. Hickerson pleaded no contest to the abuse charge in 2021 and was sentenced to four years of probation the following year.In her memoir, Panettiere also wrote about periods when alcohol consumption during their relationship was followed by alleged domestic violence.
Hayden’s mother says she believed the couple were still together
Although Panettiere and Hickerson’s relationship had reportedly been on and off, Vogel said she believed they remained together when her daughter died.Asked whether the two were together or had broken up, Vogel said she “always knew they were together.”Vogel also said she did not know why Panettiere and Hickerson were in South Carolina, where Hickerson is from, at the time of her death.“I will be speaking to a detective, and we will figure that out,” she said.She also questioned the timing of the emergency call, which was reportedly made at 1:50 p.m. ET on Sunday.“That is questionable because that is not the typical hour of the day that you are partying, generally speaking. That is a concern,” Vogel said.
Vogel had not spoken to Panettiere since October
Vogel revealed that she had not spoken with her daughter by phone since October, although they had communicated through text messages.“That was a choice I made for very specific reasons, and you know, certainly not for lack of care, concern, love,” she said.Vogel explained that she had previously tried to help Panettiere “clean up quite a bit” and acknowledged the complicated nature of their relationship.Panettiere had also spoken about her relationship with her mother shortly before her death, including in her memoir.
Hayden Panettiere’s family has faced another devastating loss
Panettiere’s death comes three years after the loss of her younger brother, Jansen Panettiere, who died in 2023 at the age of 28. His cause of death was reported as cardiomegaly and aortic valve complications.In 2024, Hayden spoke about her brother’s death during an appearance on the TODAY show.“When you lose somebody that you saw in all the important moments in your life, standing right next to you, it just rocks your world,” she said.Vogel said she now finds some comfort in believing her daughter and son are together.“I wish she had stayed true to herself because she had many incredible attributes,” Vogel told NBC News. “So, I just feel that she’s with her brother and they’re at peace, and I guess that’s my takeaway.”
Hayden Panettiere’s career
Panettiere began working as a child actor, appearing in television commercials when she was just 11 months old. She went on to act in soap operas at the age of four before gaining wider recognition in Remember the Titans, filmed when she was 10.She later became known internationally for her roles in Heroes and Nashville, with her performance in the latter earning her two Golden Globe nominations.
