Hayden Panettiere’s Mother Reveals Who She Blames After Star’s Death

The mother of the late actress Hayden Panettiere issued public statements on Tuesday that pin blame on her daughter’s boyfriend for “enabling” Panettiere. The 36-year-old actress was found unresponsive in her residence on Sunday and declared dead shortly after.

“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,” Lesley Vogel said in a statement to NBC News.

“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,” the mother continued, referring to Panettiere’s on-again-off-again boyfriend. “There is a lot of history in the past where Brian has enabled Hayden many times, and this is why her father and I had been concerned for a long time about him.”

As highlighted by The Daily Wire on Tuesday, Panettiere was reportedly discovered unresponsive in a chair by Zach Hickerson, Brian’s brother. Brian was said to be asleep in another room in an apartment that they’d rented through Airbnb. Responding officer Matthew Bryan said in his report that Zach was clearly distraught while first responders worked on Panettiere, but noted that Brian did not appear to be visibly upset until the actress was officially declared dead.

Notably, in Panettiere’s memoir, “This Is Me: A Reckoning,” Brian Hickerson is described as both physically and emotionally abusive to the actress.

“[No contact] was a choice I made for very specific reasons, and, ya know, certainly not for a lack of care, concern, or love,” she said. Panettiere has publicly spoken about having no relationship with her mother in recent years, saying that Vogel “slammed that door” in her face “pretty hard.”

“I think it becomes very difficult to be true to yourself, and I think Hayden sadly lost her way, and I wish it were different,” Vogel continued. “I wish she had stayed true to herself because she had many incredible attributes.”

Vogel added that she thought her daughter was now “at peace” with her brother Jansen, who died of aortic valve complications from an enlarged heart in 2023.

Some people online noted how Vogel only talked about Panettiere’s talent, as opposed to her personal qualities. Others also pointed out her comments about Panettiere being consumed by the industry, noting that the actress was just a baby when her mother started to take her on auditions.

“She talks as if Hayden got herself into the business on her own — she was 11 months old when her mom started having her audition for acting gigs!!! You are responsible!” commentator Yashar Ali said of Vogel’s statement.

Just months ago, Panettiere shared on the podcast “On Purpose with Jay Shetty” that she attempted to cut her mom out of her business life so she could have her mother just be her mother. Instead, Panettiere claimed Vogel told her she “owed” her and was referring to money.

“When I was 19, I finally worked up the courage to split from her business-wise because I desperately wanted a relationship with her,” she told Shetty. “I just wanted her to be my mom.”

“She came into my trailer during lunch while we were filming ‘Heroes,’ and I told her, ‘I don’t want us to work together anymore. I just want you to be my mom.’ I wasn’t expecting her response, ‘You owe me.’ That’s all she said before walking out.”

“It left this dark cloud over my head. What did she mean by ‘I owe her’?” Panettiere recalled thinking. “I was disappointed to find out she meant money.”

“She never pursued a real relationship with me as just a mother and daughter. Once the business aspect was gone, I hoped she would simply be my mom,” the actress added. “The fact that she didn’t seem to want a relationship with me was a tough pill to swallow.”

Panettiere was best known for her roles in “Nashville,” “Heroes,” and “Remember the Titans.”

The actress, who leaves behind one daughter, publicly discussed her battle with addiction in the years preceding her death. However, the cause of death remains unknown; an investigation is ongoing, and authorities say there are currently no signs of trauma.