Hayden Panettiere's Celebration of Life to Exclude Ex-Boyfriend Brian Hickerson

A celebration of life for actress Hayden Panettiere, who died on August 16 at the age of 36, is scheduled to take place this Saturday in Malibu, California. Her ex-boyfriend, Brian Hickerson, will not be in attendance, according to reports.

The coastal location was reportedly chosen due to Panettiere's affinity for the ocean and whales. The event is expected to draw approximately 150 family members, close friends, and former colleagues of the "Nashville" star.

Hickerson and his brother, Zach Hickerson, who reportedly attempted to administer CPR and Narcan to Panettiere when she was found unresponsive in South Carolina, were not invited to the memorial. Panettiere and Brian Hickerson had a tumultuous on-again, off-again relationship that began in 2018.

In 2021, Hickerson pleaded no contest to two felony counts of injuring a spouse or girlfriend. Panettiere detailed experiences of abuse in her memoir, "This Is Me: A Reckoning," released in May. She and Hickerson had reportedly reconnected shortly before her death, a detail that Panettiere had not shared with many of her friends.

Panettiere's mother, Lesley Vogel, will also not be attending the service, according to TMZ, though her father, Skip Panettiere, is expected to be present. Vogel had previously commented on her daughter's death, stating that Panettiere had been "on the wrong path."

The investigation into Panettiere's death is ongoing, with no signs of foul play reported. The Drug Enforcement Administration joined the investigation last month. Reports suggest officials are focusing on a Los Angeles-based drug dealer, citing text messages. While initial reports indicated Panettiere died from a fentanyl-laced oxycodone pill, the coroner's office has stated that no official cause of death has been released pending toxicology results.