Hayden Panettiere's mother, Lesley Vogel, has stated that a "toxic individual" contributed to her estrangement from the late actress and ultimately led to her death. Panettiere died at age 36, just days before her 37th birthday.

Vogel told Entertainment Tonight that her daughter became involved with the "wrong person" and that the family was unsuccessful in removing this individual from Panettiere's life. While Vogel did not name the person, she has previously criticized Panettiere's on-off boyfriend, Brian Hickerson, stating that the family had been "trying to get rid of" him "for quite some time."

"Although my daughter and I were estranged, it was not for lack of care or love," Vogel said in a statement. "It was due to the involvement of a toxic individual who I believe led to her death. Hayden was a beautiful and talented young woman who unfortunately became involved with the wrong person, and although her family tried to extricate him from her life, we were unable to be successful."

Panettiere and Hickerson had a tumultuous relationship from 2018 to 2022, marked by domestic violence incidents and arrests, which resulted in Hickerson serving jail time for abusing her. In recent months, they had been seen together again.

Authorities responded to a South Carolina apartment after receiving a report of an unresponsive female, believed to be Panettiere, due to a possible overdose. First responders located Narcan, a nasal spray used to reverse opioid overdoses, at the scene. The Drug Enforcement Administration has reportedly joined the investigation into her passing. Final toxicology results are pending to confirm whether narcotics contributed to her death.

Vogel's recent remarks follow her earlier public statement after Panettiere's passing, in which she directly addressed Hickerson. "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," she told NBC News. "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."

Hickerson's lawyer, Sloan Ellis, has stated that the investigation is ongoing and that police confirmed no signs of foul play. Ellis added that out of respect for Panettiere's loved ones and the investigation, no further comment would be made at this time.

Panettiere, a former child star, gained recognition for roles in "Remember the Titans," the TV series "Heroes," and "Nashville," for which she received two Golden Globe nominations. Her film credits also include "A Bug's Life," "Bring It On: All or Nothing," and the "Scream" franchise.

She had an 11-year-old daughter, Kaya, with former fiancé Wladimir Klitschko, to whom she later granted full custody.