“By My Side Until Death ...” ‘Heroes’ Actress Hayden Panettiere Dies, Questions Swirl Over Abusive Ex-Boyfriend’s Presence

‘Heroes’ actress Hayden Panettiere dies at 36 ... The unexpected identity of the companion who called 911

Former boyfriend Brian Hickerson, indicted on seven assault charges in the past, confirmed to have been at the scene of her death

A tragedy behind the bright lights, and the grip of a “toxic relationship” she could never fully escape

Hollywood actress Hayden Panettiere, 36, who won fans around the world through the hit U.S. television drama ‘Heroes’, died suddenly under circumstances that have shocked those close to her. Questions have mounted after it emerged that her former boyfriend, who had subjected her to horrific dating violence in the past, was with her at the time of her death.

Hayden Panettiere was with her former partner, Brian Hickerson, when she died on the 16th in Greenville, South Carolina, according to the New York Times and other major U.S. media outlets on the 19th, local time. An initial report by police in the jurisdiction said Hickerson and his brother were also the people who called 911 for emergency assistance after Panettiere lost consciousness and collapsed.

Authorities have not officially announced the exact cause of death, but investigators are focusing on cardiac arrest resulting from a suspected “overdose.” Although investigators have not identified Hickerson as a direct cause of her death, the revelation that he had a criminal record for inflicting severe “dating violence” on Panettiere in the past has fueled fierce controversy.

Panettiere’s mother, Lesley Vogel, expressed deep anger at Brian Hickerson in an interview with local media. “The person our family had worked so hard to keep completely out of our daughter’s life was by her side in the moment of this tragedy,” she said. Panettiere, however, was reportedly somewhat estranged from her immediate family, including her mother, during her lifetime.

Panettiere previously appeared on television in 2020 and publicly accused Hickerson of brutal violence, declaring, “I will use every means available, including ‘legal action,’ to ensure this man can never harm another person again.” In her “memoir,” published in May, she also detailed the harrowing experiences of living in extreme fear and being effectively confined to her home because of Hickerson’s merciless abuse. Hickerson was charged at the time with “seven counts,” including injuring his girlfriend, and was convicted on two of them and sentenced to probation. Despite that, the two had apparently resumed communicating in secret recently, deepening the sense of tragedy.

Panettiere, who began her career as a child actor and rose to the top of Hollywood with major productions including ‘Heroes’ and ‘Nashville,’ won public support after revealing in her recently published memoir the troubled history hidden behind the glamour: a “drug addiction” that began in her teens at the urging of a manager, a devastating experience of sexual harassment, and severe postpartum depression. But her tumultuous life ultimately came to a tragic end at the young age of 36.