\n\t\t\t
\n Related: <\/span>Inside Hayden Panettiere’s On-Off Relationship With Brian Hickerson<\/span><\/a>
\n\t\t<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n\t\t\tIn the years after they broke up, Hayden Panettiere\u2019s relationship with Brian Hickerson was still complicated even at the time of her tragic death. \u201cHayden and Brian have been on and off for years, but have pretty much always remained in contact,\u201d a source exclusively shares with Us of the pair\u2019s history prior to her [\u2026]\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Panettiere and Hickerson dated on and off from 2018 to 2020, ultimately breaking up following a domestic violence incident in Wyoming. Hickerson was ultimately sentenced to one year in jail in connection to the incident, which a judge later suspended in exchange for one year of probation.<\/p>\n
In May, Panettiere began a book tour to celebrate the release of her This Is Me: A Reckoning <\/i>memoir. According to two unidentified sources with knowledge of the matter who spoke to The Times,<\/i> a Barnes & Noble store in New York City was given strict instructions not to allow Hickerson into the venue. <\/i>Per the outlet\u2019s insiders, Panettiere was accompanied by private security<\/span><\/a> with the alleged intent to keep Hickerson away from her.<\/p>\n\u201cI really thought I had done it and I was capable of doing it by myself,\u201d she said of her relationship with Hickerson on the \u201cOn Purpose\u201d podcast weeks earlier, months before her suspected overdose death. \u201cI needed an incredible amount of support and backup in order to make sure that there was no way for him to find his way back in.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\n![\"Promo](\"https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Promo-Hayden-Panettiere-Ex-Brian-Hickerson-Inserted-Himself-Into-Her-Life-Again-Before-Death.jpg?crop=0px%2C0px%2C1265px%2C714px&resize=400%2C225&quality=40&strip=all\")
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\n Related: <\/span>Hayden Panettiere’s Ex Brian Hickerson ‘Inserted Himself’ Back Into Her Life<\/span><\/a>
\n\t\t<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n\t\t\tHayden Panettiere\u2018s on-off boyfriend Brian Hickerson found himself back in the actress\u2019 life before her shocking death. \u201cBrian was with her at the time of her death,\u201d the source exclusively shared with Us. \u201cHe had inserted himself into her life and was surveilling her.\u201d According to a Greenville City Police Department incident report obtained by [\u2026]\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Hickerson, through an attorney, broke his silence on Panettiere\u2019s death on Thursday, August 20.<\/p>\n
\u201cHayden\u2019s death remains under investigation and it is important to allow that investigation to proceed,\u201d Hickerson\u2019s attorney Sloan Ellis<\/b> told Us<\/i> in a statement<\/span><\/a>. \u201cAs has been publicly reported, police confirmed there were no signs of foul play. Out of respect for Hayden\u2019s loved ones and the ongoing investigation, there will be no further comment at this time.\u201d<\/p>\nPanettiere was found dead in South Carolina<\/span><\/a> on August 16, with a local police report claiming that Hickerson was present at the scene<\/span><\/a> with his brother, Zach<\/b>. Narcan was reportedly used and life-saving measures, including CPR, were made but were ultimately unsuccessful.<\/p>\n\u201cAfter EMS officially declared Hayden deceased, I escorted Zach [Hickerson] and Brian out of the apartment,\u201d a police report obtained by Us<\/i> read, referring to Brian\u2019s brother. \u201cI observed Zach to be very emotional while EMS were working on Hayden. Brian did not become emotional until EMS declared her officially deceased.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\n![\"Hayden](\"https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Hayden-Panettiere-GettyImages-82998735.jpg?crop=0px%2C41px%2C1320px%2C746px&resize=400%2C225&quality=55&strip=all\")
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\n Related: <\/span>Hayden Panettiere’s Body Released by Coroner 2 Days After Her Death<\/span><\/a>
\n\t\t<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n\t\t\tHayden Panettiere\u2018s body has been released by the coroner\u2019s office less than one week after her death at age 36. The Greenville Coroner\u2019s Office in South Carolina confirms to Us that the actress\u2019 body was transferred to a mortuary chosen by her family on Tuesday, August 18. The name of the mortuary was not disclosed. [\u2026]\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
A cause of death has not yet been revealed at the time of publication. In the wake of Panettiere\u2019s death, Zach \u2014 who once dated the Ice Princess<\/em> actress \u2014 claimed he and his brother tried to save the Heroes star\u2019s life.<\/p>\n\u201cWhen we went in and tried to wake Hayden up for lunch, we realized she was unconscious,\u201d he claimed to TMZ<\/a> on Friday, August 21. \u201cI immediately called 911, and Brian gave her Narcan. We then jointly performed CPR while 911 was on speaker until Fire and EMS arrived. At that point, we watched as they tried every measure possible to save her life.\u201d<\/p>\nPanettiere\u2019s estranged mother, Lesley Vogel<\/strong>, refuted the brothers\u2019 claims, telling the Daily Mail<\/em> in a Saturday, August 22, interview that she believes Brian is \u201cculpable\u201d for her daughter\u2019s death.<\/p>\nUs<\/em> has reached out to Brian multiple times for comment on various claims, including allegations he was banned from Panettiere\u2019s mother\u2019s claims and allegations he was banned from her book tour, but have not heard back.<\/p>\n\n\n\t![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/wp-content\/themes\/us-weekly\/assets\/img\/newsletter-bg-narrow.jpg\")
\n\t![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/wp-content\/themes\/us-weekly\/assets\/img\/newsletter-bg-wide.jpg\")
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\u201cI really thought I had done it and I was capable of doing it by myself,\u201d she said of her relationship with Hickerson on the \u201cOn Purpose\u201d podcast weeks earlier, months before her suspected overdose death. \u201cI needed an incredible amount of support and backup in order to make sure that there was no way for him to find his way back in.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t
\n Related: <\/span>Hayden Panettiere’s Ex Brian Hickerson ‘Inserted Himself’ Back Into Her Life<\/span><\/a>
\n\t\t<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n\t\t\tHayden Panettiere\u2018s on-off boyfriend Brian Hickerson found himself back in the actress\u2019 life before her shocking death. \u201cBrian was with her at the time of her death,\u201d the source exclusively shared with Us. \u201cHe had inserted himself into her life and was surveilling her.\u201d According to a Greenville City Police Department incident report obtained by [\u2026]\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Hickerson, through an attorney, broke his silence on Panettiere\u2019s death on Thursday, August 20.<\/p>\n
\u201cHayden\u2019s death remains under investigation and it is important to allow that investigation to proceed,\u201d Hickerson\u2019s attorney Sloan Ellis<\/b> told Us<\/i> in a statement<\/span><\/a>. \u201cAs has been publicly reported, police confirmed there were no signs of foul play. Out of respect for Hayden\u2019s loved ones and the ongoing investigation, there will be no further comment at this time.\u201d<\/p>\nPanettiere was found dead in South Carolina<\/span><\/a> on August 16, with a local police report claiming that Hickerson was present at the scene<\/span><\/a> with his brother, Zach<\/b>. Narcan was reportedly used and life-saving measures, including CPR, were made but were ultimately unsuccessful.<\/p>\n\u201cAfter EMS officially declared Hayden deceased, I escorted Zach [Hickerson] and Brian out of the apartment,\u201d a police report obtained by Us<\/i> read, referring to Brian\u2019s brother. \u201cI observed Zach to be very emotional while EMS were working on Hayden. Brian did not become emotional until EMS declared her officially deceased.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n
\n\n\t\t\t
\n Related: <\/span>Hayden Panettiere’s Body Released by Coroner 2 Days After Her Death<\/span><\/a>
\n\t\t<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n\t\t\tHayden Panettiere\u2018s body has been released by the coroner\u2019s office less than one week after her death at age 36. The Greenville Coroner\u2019s Office in South Carolina confirms to Us that the actress\u2019 body was transferred to a mortuary chosen by her family on Tuesday, August 18. The name of the mortuary was not disclosed. [\u2026]\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
A cause of death has not yet been revealed at the time of publication. In the wake of Panettiere\u2019s death, Zach \u2014 who once dated the Ice Princess<\/em> actress \u2014 claimed he and his brother tried to save the Heroes star\u2019s life.<\/p>\n\u201cWhen we went in and tried to wake Hayden up for lunch, we realized she was unconscious,\u201d he claimed to TMZ<\/a> on Friday, August 21. \u201cI immediately called 911, and Brian gave her Narcan. We then jointly performed CPR while 911 was on speaker until Fire and EMS arrived. At that point, we watched as they tried every measure possible to save her life.\u201d<\/p>\nPanettiere\u2019s estranged mother, Lesley Vogel<\/strong>, refuted the brothers\u2019 claims, telling the Daily Mail<\/em> in a Saturday, August 22, interview that she believes Brian is \u201cculpable\u201d for her daughter\u2019s death.<\/p>\nUs<\/em> has reached out to Brian multiple times for comment on various claims, including allegations he was banned from Panettiere\u2019s mother\u2019s claims and allegations he was banned from her book tour, but have not heard back.<\/p>\n\n\n\t
\n\t<\/p>\n
Panettiere was found dead in South Carolina<\/span><\/a> on August 16, with a local police report claiming that Hickerson was present at the scene<\/span><\/a> with his brother, Zach<\/b>. Narcan was reportedly used and life-saving measures, including CPR, were made but were ultimately unsuccessful.<\/p>\n \u201cAfter EMS officially declared Hayden deceased, I escorted Zach [Hickerson] and Brian out of the apartment,\u201d a police report obtained by Us<\/i> read, referring to Brian\u2019s brother. \u201cI observed Zach to be very emotional while EMS were working on Hayden. Brian did not become emotional until EMS declared her officially deceased.\u201d<\/p>\n \t\t<\/a><\/p>\n \n\t\t\tHayden Panettiere\u2018s body has been released by the coroner\u2019s office less than one week after her death at age 36. The Greenville Coroner\u2019s Office in South Carolina confirms to Us that the actress\u2019 body was transferred to a mortuary chosen by her family on Tuesday, August 18. The name of the mortuary was not disclosed. [\u2026]\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n A cause of death has not yet been revealed at the time of publication. In the wake of Panettiere\u2019s death, Zach \u2014 who once dated the Ice Princess<\/em> actress \u2014 claimed he and his brother tried to save the Heroes star\u2019s life.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen we went in and tried to wake Hayden up for lunch, we realized she was unconscious,\u201d he claimed to TMZ<\/a> on Friday, August 21. \u201cI immediately called 911, and Brian gave her Narcan. We then jointly performed CPR while 911 was on speaker until Fire and EMS arrived. At that point, we watched as they tried every measure possible to save her life.\u201d<\/p>\n Panettiere\u2019s estranged mother, Lesley Vogel<\/strong>, refuted the brothers\u2019 claims, telling the Daily Mail<\/em> in a Saturday, August 22, interview that she believes Brian is \u201cculpable\u201d for her daughter\u2019s death.<\/p>\n Us<\/em> has reached out to Brian multiple times for comment on various claims, including allegations he was banned from Panettiere\u2019s mother\u2019s claims and allegations he was banned from her book tour, but have not heard back.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n\n\t\t\t
\n Related: <\/span>Hayden Panettiere’s Body Released by Coroner 2 Days After Her Death<\/span><\/a>
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