Brian Hickerson, the former lover of American actress Hayden Panettiere, was next to her on the day of her death. How reports NBC, their relationship allegedly ended in 2020 amid allegations of domestic violence – the man was sentenced to four years probation. Subsequently, the couple reunited several times. The death of the actress was commented on by her loved ones, including her mother Leslie Vogel and ex-fiancé Vladimir Klitschko.
As RTVI previously reported, Panettiere was found unconscious in an apartment complex in Greenville (South Carolina). On Sunday, 911 received a report of a suspected overdose. The caller said that the actress did not respond to external stimuli and had suffered cardiac arrest.
Police and medical personnel arrived at 701 Easley Bridge Road around 1:51 p.m. and performed advanced CPR and chest compressions on Panettiere, but they could not save her.
NBC, citing a police report, reports that Hickerson and his brother Zach were in the apartment complex at the time. It is unknown which of them called 911. The latter, according to the document, was “very emotional” while doctors tried to revive Panettiere.
Brian Hickerson showed the police a bag of medications that the actress took that day. The report also says that before doctors pronounced Panettiere dead, he remained outwardly calm.
An autopsy was performed Monday. According to the medical examiner's report, no injuries “that could have contributed to death were found.”
In 2019, Hickerson was arrested on suspicion of domestic violence. He pleaded no contest to the charges against him, and in 2022 he was sentenced to four years of probation. In 2020, Panettiere asked the court to issue a restraining order against Hickerson.
The actress, in particular, spoke about this relationship in her memoirs, This Is Me: A Reckoning, published three months before her death. Panettiere claimed that Hickerson once beat her so badly that she did not leave the house for several weeks. According to her, for a long time she did not dare to contact the police and report the violence.
The actress's mother, Leslie Vogel, confirmed in an interview with NBC News that Hickerson was with her daughter at the time of her death.
“This man, from whom we had long tried to protect her, was next to her at the time of death. It was Brian Hickerson. Brian has a long story behind him. “He has condoned Hayden's behavior on numerous occasions in the past, and that is why her father and I have long been concerned about him and, frankly, about his family,” Vogel said.
According to the actress's mother, Panettiere “lost her way” because in the entertainment industry “it is very difficult to remain true to yourself.”
“I think Hayden was an incredibly talented person in many ways. I think it's very difficult for young people growing up in the entertainment industry. It’s a complex and demanding environment, and unfortunately, they often lose their way,” Vogel said.
She also said that the last time she spoke to her daughter was in October last year. After that, they kept in touch by correspondence for some time.
“This was my conscious choice for very specific reasons. And, of course, it had nothing to do with a lack of care, concern or love. The last time we probably spoke was when I was in California trying to help her get a lot of things in order. We texted some more after that, but we haven’t exchanged messages for quite some time,” she said.
Panettiere has an 11-year-old daughter, Kaya Evdokia, from Ukrainian boxer Vladimir Klitschko. He expressed his condolences to the actress’s parents, her friends and fans, noting that “he will always speak to Kaia about her mother with respect.”
“With her immense talent, she has built an incredible career while also facing the dark side of an extremely demanding industry. Nothing can erase the time we spent together or the place she occupied in our lives. To our daughter Kaya, I will always talk about her mother with respect and will do everything so that she remembers what kind of person Hayden was,” Klitschko wrote.
