Hayden Panettiere’s estranged mother, Lesley Vogel, has broken her silence following the Heroes star’s shocking death.
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In a statement to NBC News, Vogel shared some harsh words about her daughter’s on-and-off boyfriend, Brian Hickerson, who was present when the actress died.
“This person in her life that we have been trying to get rid of for quite some time was with her at her death,” she stated. “And that was Biran Hickerson.”
Continuing to speak about her daughter, Vogel said, “I think Hayden was an amazingly talented person in so many departments, and I think young people who grow up in the entertainment industry— it is a struggle and it’s a very challenging industry, and it’s not unusual for them to sadly find the wrong path.”
Panettiere and Hickerson had been dating on-and-off since 2018. Hickerson was previously charged with domestic violence against Panettiere, who had a restraining order against him since 2021.
Law enforcement in Greenville, South Carolina, received a 911 call at about 1:30 pm on Sunday, alerting them to a person in cardiac arrest. Upon their arrival, first responders attempted to revive Panettiere but were unsuccessful. She was pronounced dead just after 2:30 pm.
Hickerson, who was with Panettiere at the time, along with his brother, provided those at the scene with a “bag of medication” Panettiere had with her. He didn’t become emotional until the actress was declared deceased.
Panettiere and Her Mother Were Not Speaking At the Time of Her Death
Panettiere had been estranged from Vogel at the time of her death. The Nashville star had detailed the relationship she had with her mother in her memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning,
Vogel had been her daughter’s manager in the early years of her career. Panettiere revealed she had discontinued the professional relationship when she was 19 years old.
Just before the release of the actress’s book, Vogel made it clear that the mother-daughter duo was not speaking to each other. She also commented on what Panettiere wrote about her in the book.
“The present drama is partially to sell books,” she told Page Six. “There is a personality ‘style’ which manifests as a need for control, entitlement, and a lack of empathy. The major fear is that someone will see through the mask they present to the world and discover who they truthfully are.”
Despite the estrangement, Panettiere had spoken about leaving the door open for Vogel.
She told Us Weekly in 2025, “Unfortunately, we don’t have a relationship right now. But that doesn’t mean that I don’t leave the door open for the opportunity to present itself one day. It’s hard for me to say, but I’ve chosen to be brutally honest. So that’s the honest truth of it.”