Hayden Panettiere’s boyfriend Brian Hickerson and his brother Zach Hickerson were present at the South Carolina apartment where the actress passed away, as per a police report disclosed on Tuesday. Upon the arrival of a Greenville police officer at the residence on Sunday, the Hickerson brothers greeted the officer, who then witnessed paramedics administering CPR to an unresponsive woman. Despite efforts to revive her, Panettiere was pronounced dead at 2:31 p.m., with no evident cause of death established yet.
Panettiere and Brian Hickerson had a tumultuous relationship, marred by allegations of physical abuse by the aspiring actor. Hickerson faced charges in 2020 for felony abuse, ultimately pleading no contest to specific counts related to injuring a spouse or partner. Following a brief jail term, he received probation, anger management, and Alcoholics Anonymous sessions as part of his sentence. Hickerson recently sought to downgrade his charges to misdemeanors, which was denied by a judge in Los Angeles.
The police report, heavily redacted, mentioned Zach Hickerson identifying the unresponsive woman as his brother’s girlfriend. The officer noted Zach’s emotional state during the emergency response, with Brian displaying emotion only after her official declaration of death. Details of the conversation with Brian were redacted from the report, as was the list of medications Panettiere had been taking.
Panettiere’s ex-fiancé Wladimir Klitschko expressed sorrow over her sudden demise, emphasizing her significance in his life as the mother of their daughter, Kaya. Klitschko was granted full custody of Kaya after their split in 2018 due to Panettiere’s struggles with addiction and postpartum depression. In a previously released memoir and interviews, Panettiere candidly shared her challenges with early fame, addiction, and postpartum depression.
Tributes continue to flood in for Panettiere, with co-stars and industry figures mourning her passing. Her work in iconic TV shows like “Heroes” and “Nashville” solidified her place in the entertainment world before her untimely death.