Celebrity4 min(s) read
Hayden Panettiere's estranged mother has broken her silence on her daughter's death and directed her anger squarely at Brian Hickerson.
Lesley Vogel, 70, told NBC News that Hickerson was someone the family had been trying to remove from Panettiere's life for years.
"This person in her life that we have been trying to get rid of for quite some time was with her at her death," she said, "and that was Brian Hickerson."
Her comments were a mix of grief and frustration.
She praised Panettiere's talent while making it clear she believed her daughter had lost her way.
"I think Hayden was an amazingly talented person in so many departments," she told NBC News.
"And I think young people who grow up in the entertainment industry - it is a struggle and it's a very challenging industry and it's not unusual for them to sadly find the wrong path."
"I think Hayden sadly lost her way and I wish it were different. I wish she had stayed true to herself because she had many incredible attributes."
She also flagged the timing of the 911 call, which came just before 2pm on a Sunday afternoon.
"It's not at the typical hour of the day that you are partying, generally speaking."
Vogel did not hold back. She told NBC News that both she and Panettiere's father had been concerned about Hickerson's influence on their daughter for a long time.
"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."
She confirmed she would be speaking with a detective about her daughter's death but said she had no additional information about what happened inside the apartment beyond what has already been reported.
The public nature of Vogel's statement is complicated by the fact that she and Panettiere were not in contact when the actress died.
Panettiere told Us Weekly in 2025 that the relationship with her mother had broken down completely. "Unfortunately, we don't have a relationship right now," she said. "But that doesn't mean that I don't leave the door open for the opportunity to present itself one day. It's hard for me to say, but I've chosen to be brutally honest. So that's the honest truth of it."
Vogel confirmed the estrangement earlier this year, telling Page Six in May that she had chosen the 'no-contact route' after '20 years of trauma' and on the advice of professionals.
The feeling was mutual on the other side too. Hickerson told TMZ in May: "Hayden's mother is by far one of the worst people I've ever met in my life. I just can't with her. She's terrible."
A mother who hadn't spoken to her daughter. A boyfriend the family spent years trying to get rid of. Both of them are now talking publicly about the woman caught between them who is no longer here to give her own version.
Panettiere was found unresponsive at an Airbnb inside the Judson Mill Lofts complex in Greenville, South Carolina, on Sunday. She was pronounced dead at 2:32pm ET.
A police report confirmed that Hickerson and his brother Zach were in the apartment at the time. Officers noted that Zach was 'very emotional'. Brian showed no emotion.
Hickerson showed officers a 'bag of medication' Panettiere had been taking. Sources told TMZ that Narcan was found on a mattress inside the apartment. Dispatch audio referenced both a 'cardiac arrest' and a 'suspected overdose'.
An autopsy found no signs of trauma that would have contributed to the death. The cause of death remains under investigation. Toxicology results are expected to take several weeks.
She was 36. She would have turned 37 on Thursday.
Read more of VT's coverage: Police reveal new details | 911 call audio | Health issues before death | Custody decision | Brother's cause of death
