Brian Hickerson comments on Hayden Panettiere's death amid ongoing investigation

Brian Hickerson, represented by attorney Sloan Ellis, said the death of his on-and-off girlfriend Hayden Panettiere remains under investigation and that no further comment would be made. Ellis told media that police have found no signs of foul play and that the investigation is ongoing.

Panettiere, 36, was discovered dead in a Greenville, South Carolina, apartment on August 16, 2026. According to a police report, her brother Zach Hickerson found her body while Brian Hickerson was in another room. Emergency responders were called for an unidentified female in cardiac arrest and reported that CPR was performed for an apparent overdose. An autopsy found no trauma that could have contributed to the death, and the Drug Enforcement Administration has joined the inquiry.

Authorities have not released a definitive cause of death. The investigation follows earlier legal issues involving Hickerson, who previously pleaded no contest to felony domestic-violence charges and was sentenced to jail time, probation and mandatory classes. A recent request to reduce those convictions was denied by a judge.

Panettiere is survived by her 11-year-old daughter, Kaya, who lives with her ex-partner Wladimir Klitschko in Ukraine. Klitschko issued a statement expressing shock and grief over the actress’s passing.