Celebrity3 min(s) read
Brian Hickerson has deleted his Instagram account after Hayden Panettiere's sudden death on Sunday prompted a wave of backlash directed at him online.
Hickerson's account was deactivated or removed on Monday after fans flooded his most recent post with comments accusing him of responsibility for the actress's death.
"He needs to be investigated," one person wrote.
"Why did you erase every picture of Hayden Panettiere," said another.
"What did you do to her?" another questioned.
Others defended him, saying there was no evidence linking Hickerson to her death.
Police have said the preliminary investigation has found no signs of foul play.
Because of who he is, who he was to her, and what has happened before.
Hickerson and Panettiere were first linked in 2018.
In May 2019, he was arrested for felony domestic violence after an alleged physical altercation at their home in Hollywood.
Page Six reported that the couple had been drinking the night before the incident.
He pleaded no contest and was sentenced to 45 days in prison in 2021.
A five-year restraining order was issued.
In her memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning, published earlier this year, Panettiere detailed the abuse she suffered during their relationship.
Despite all of that, the two reconciled.
Hickerson was also with her at the end.
TMZ reported they flew together from Los Angeles to the south on Saturday, August 15.
The next day, Panettiere was found unresponsive at an Airbnb inside the Judson Mill Lofts apartment complex in Greenville, South Carolina. She was pronounced dead at 2:32pm.
Police responded to a 911 call at approximately 1:50pm on Sunday.
Dispatch audio obtained by People referenced an 'overdose' and 'cardiac arrest'.
First responders attempted advanced life support and chest compressions. She did not survive.
The Greenville County Coroner's Office has said the cause of death is pending further investigation. No foul play has been reported.
Panettiere had been dealing with severe health issues in the months before her death, including nerve damage in her lower back that left her temporarily unable to move her legs.
She was seen using crutches at LAX in March.
Panettiere's relationship with Hickerson had been a source of concern for years, both publicly and within her family.
She gave up custody of her daughter Kaya to former fiancé Wladimir Klitschko while she was struggling with addiction and the fallout from the relationship.
Her younger brother Jansen died in 2023 at 28 from an enlarged heart, a loss that she said sent her into agoraphobia and rapid weight gain.
She was 36 years old. She would have turned 37 on Thursday.
Hickerson has not made a public statement since her death. His Instagram account is gone. The investigation is ongoing.
Read more of VT's coverage: Police reveal new details after sudden death | 911 call audio appears to reveal cause of death | Health issues Panettiere dealt with before death
