Palisades, NY – Hayden Panettiere, the actress who was born and raised in the Rockland County hamlet of Palisades before becoming a nationally known television and film star, was with former partner Brian Hickerson at a South Carolina apartment shortly before her death, according to a police incident report detailed by The Washington Post. Panettiere, 36, died Aug. 16 in Greenville, South Carolina, after emergency responders attempted lifesaving measures for an extended period.
Panettiere was born Aug. 21, 1989, in Palisades and spent part of her childhood in the Rockland County community. She was the daughter of Lesley Vogel, a former soap opera actress, and Alan “Skip” Panettiere, a former New York City fire captain. Her younger brother, actor Jansen Panettiere, died in 2023. Hayden Panettiere began working as a child actress and later became widely known for portraying Claire Bennet on the NBC television series “Heroes” and Juliette Barnes on “Nashville.” She also appeared in films including “Remember the Titans” and entries in the “Scream” franchise.
According to The Washington Post, citing a heavily redacted Greenville Police Department incident report, Hickerson and his brother, Zach Hickerson, told responding officers that they had called 911. An officer arrived at the apartment after first responders had already been attempting to revive Panettiere. She was pronounced dead at 2:31 p.m.
The report stated that Brian Hickerson showed police medications Panettiere had been taking. According to the responding officer, Hickerson became highly emotional after emergency personnel declared Panettiere dead. Details of a subsequent conversation between Hickerson and the officer were redacted from the publicly released report.
Authorities have not announced an official cause of death. The Greenville County Coroner’s Office said Panettiere had been in cardiac arrest, while an autopsy found no signs of trauma that would have contributed to her death. Police also reported finding no indications of foul play. The investigation into the circumstances surrounding her death remains ongoing. Hickerson has not been accused of causing or participating in Panettiere’s death.
Panettiere and Hickerson had a turbulent relationship beginning in 2018. Panettiere previously obtained a protective order against him. Los Angeles County court records cited by The Washington Post show that Hickerson pleaded no contest in 2021 to two domestic violence-related counts and received four years of probation, along with requirements that included participation in Alcoholics Anonymous and anger-management programs.
Panettiere discussed the relationship and allegations of physical abuse in her memoir, “This Is Me: A Reckoning,” released in May. Hickerson later publicly discussed their relationship and said the two had developed mutual respect and remained friends. He also said he had participated in Alcoholics Anonymous and therapy.
The memoir also addressed Panettiere’s experiences growing up in the entertainment industry, her struggles with alcohol addiction and her experience with postpartum depression following the birth of her daughter, Kaya, in 2014. Kaya’s father is former heavyweight boxing champion Wladimir Klitschko, who was in an on-and-off relationship with Panettiere from 2009 to 2018. Their daughter later began living full-time with Klitschko while Panettiere sought treatment for addiction.
Following Panettiere’s death, Klitschko issued a statement expressing grief and describing her death as coming far too soon. Panettiere would have turned 37 on Aug. 21, five days after her death.
For Rockland County, Panettiere’s death carries a local connection extending back to the beginning of her life and career. Before achieving national recognition as a child performer and later as an adult television star, she grew up in Palisades, where her family maintained a home for years.
Reporting concerning the Greenville police incident report and the circumstances surrounding Panettiere’s death is attributed to The Washington Post.
