Watch: Hayden Panettiere Identified as Brian Hickerson’s Girlfriend in Death Report
Hayden Panettiere‘s loved ones and peers are looking for answers.
The actress died in Greenville, South Carolina, on Aug. 16, with the city’s coroner noting in his report that emergency medical services were unable to resuscitate her after finding her in cardiac arrest. And though audio from the 911 dispatch call obtained by multiple outlets features responders discussing an apparent overdose, the official cause and manner of death have yet to be released pending further investigation.
After Panettiere’s sudden passing, tributes poured in from several of her former costars, including Connie Britton from Nashville, James Kyson from Heroes, Solange from Bring It On: All or Nothing and Kim Cattrall from Ice Princess.
Meanwhile, those who worked alongside her more recently, like Justin Chatwin from her final film Sleepwalker, provided insight into how she was doing in the run-up to her death.
“I could tell she was struggling, and I was like, ‘I don’t think it’s this movie,'” he told People of their time on set in 2025 in an interview Aug. 17. “There’s a handful of women that I’ve worked with that I really liked, and I really loved working with her, but I also know that she was really lonely.”
It was a sentiment shared by director Griff Furst, who worked with the “insanely talented” Panettiere on the 2025 movie A Breed Apart.
“Hayden was incredibly sweet and gracious and excited to work,” he said in an Aug.17 Instagram video, “but she was not OK.”
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In recent years, Panettiere openly detailed her personal struggles, including her battle with addiction, mental health journey and grief over her late brother Jansen Panettiere. However, she’d expressed how proud she was of how far she’d come.
“In this life, I’ve laughed, cried, and made mistakes,” she wrote in her memoir This Is Me: A Reckoning, released in May. “I’ve loved deeply, sometimes too much, but it’s who I am. My life is mine to show up for every day, and I do it humbly and with a full heart. Radical acceptance has taught me to walk hand in hand with my triumphs and my tragedies because they’ve made me who I am. And today, I really love that person.”
While questions remain as the investigation into Panettiere’s death continues, read what authorities have shared so far.
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“Brian did not become emotional until EMS declared her officially deceased.”E! News has reached out to Zach and to Brian’s attorneys for comment but has yet to hear back.While police told People officers “responded to a call for a welfare check at a home belonging to Brian Hickerson’s family” on Aug. 19, they noted “the call is unrelated to the Hayden Panettiere death investigation and did not require an incident report.”
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While Panettiere—whose brother Jansen died in 2023 at ae 28—and her mom had publicly spoken about their estrangement, Vogel remembered her daughter as “an amazingly talented person in so many departments.””I think young people who grow up in the entertainment industry—it is a struggle and it’s a very challenging industry,” she added, “and it’s not unusual for them to sadly find the wrong path.”Additionally, her ex Wladimir Klitschko addressed his “profound shock and grief” he and their daughter Kaya were facing in the wake of Panettiere’s death. The Ukranian boxer further vowed to keep the Nashville alum’s legacy alive in Kaya’s memory.
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