Hayden Panettiere's mother, Lesley Vogel, has shared that she gave her late daughter an ultimatum regarding her on-again, off-again boyfriend, Brian Hickerson, during their last phone conversation approximately a year ago. Vogel appeared on Good Morning America and revealed that she told Panettiere that their relationship could not continue if she remained involved with Hickerson.
"She knew that Brian was toxic. She knew she had to get him out of her life," Vogel told GMA, describing the ultimatum. She also recounted that Panettiere had expressed a desire to leave Hickerson permanently when Vogel visited her a year prior.
However, Vogel claimed that Panettiere began to distance herself about six weeks after the visit. Subsequently, Vogel received a call from her daughter stating she was back with Hickerson. Vogel described her reaction as losing control, unable to believe Panettiere had returned to him.
The relationship between Panettiere and Hickerson, which spanned from 2018 to 2022, was marked by domestic violence incidents and arrests, with Hickerson serving jail time for abusing her. They had been seen together again in recent months.
Vogel, who also lost her son Jansen at age 28 in 2023, shared her emotional state following her daughter's death. Panettiere was found dead at age 36 on August 16 at an Airbnb in Greenville, South Carolina, where she had traveled with Hickerson. The cause of death is suspected to be an overdose.
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has joined the investigation into Panettiere's death. Greenville Police and the coroner's office are also conducting parallel investigations. Paramedics had reported a suspected overdose, and Narcan was found at the scene. Toxicology results are pending to determine if narcotics contributed to her death.
In 2021, Hickerson pleaded no contest to two felony counts of injuring a girlfriend and received a sentence of 45 days in county jail, 52 mandatory domestic violence classes, and a five-year restraining order. Panettiere had written about his alleged abuse in her 2026 memoir, detailing escalating violence.
Vogel addressed criticism she has received regarding her public statements following her daughter's death, stating, "You don’t have a right to tell me how I mourn the loss of my second child. That’s my domain." She described her current state as still processing the loss, feeling numb and finding it difficult to grasp the reality of her daughter's death.
Panettiere, known for her roles in "Heroes" and "Nashville," had an 11-year-old daughter, Kaya, with former fiancé Wladimir Klitschko. She had previously given full custody of their daughter to Klitschko.