Hayden Panettiere's family wanted to 'rid' her of boyfriend before death

Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News on Aug 18, 2026

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Hayden Panettiere’s estranged mom said their family wanted the 36-year-old actor’s on-and-off boyfriend out of her life before she was found dead in his company on Sunday.

“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,” Lesley Vogel told NBC News.

Several outlets reported that Hickerson was present when first responders unsuccessfully treated Panettiere in a South Carolina residence Sunday afternoon. Narcan was reportedly found in that home. Panettiere had previously struggled with addiction, but was believed to have been in recovery. A toxicology report is expected to reveal her cause of death.

Friends of the “Heroes” star told US Weekly that they too were concerned Panettiere and Hickerson were in contact again. He pleaded no contest to domestic charges involving Panettiere in 2021.

“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,” according to Vogel.

Vogel believes that her daughter “sadly lost her way” and wishes things had turned out differently. Hickerson hasn’t commented on criticisms made against him.

Panettiere told Entertainment Tonight in May that she wanted to reconcile with her mom, but felt that Vogel, who once managed her daughter’s career, puts her own interests ahead of all else.

“Who doesn’t want a relationship with their mother?” Panettiere asked.

On a recent appearance on Jay Shetty’s podcast, the actress recalled. while working on the show “Heroes” at 19, telling her mom she wanted to sever their professional relationship, which Panettiere recalls her mother not receiving well and ultimately bringing about a long estrangement.

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