New details are emerging about Hayden Panettiere’s relationship with Brian Hickerson in the months before her death.
According to a New York Times report, Panettiere instructed her private security team to keep Hickerson away during the May promotional tour for her memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning. The Barnes & Noble in New York City’s Union Square, which hosted the tour’s opening event on May 19, was reportedly given specific instructions not to admit him.
The detail is significant because Hickerson was later present at the Greenville, South Carolina residence where Panettiere was found unresponsive on Aug. 16.
Panettiere, 36, had been involved with Hickerson, 37, on and off since 2018 and wrote about their turbulent relationship in her memoir, which detailed her experiences with childhood fame, addiction, motherhood and domestic abuse.
According to the report, security instructions surrounding the book tour were explicit, including a directive that the Union Square store “not let in a man named Brian Hickerson.”
Three months later, Hickerson and his brother Zach were at the Greenville property when emergency services responded after Panettiere was found unresponsive.
A police report said there was no obvious physical explanation for her condition at the scene, while an autopsy reportedly found no signs of trauma. Police have said there were no signs of foul play. The cause and manner of Panettiere’s death remain under investigation.
According to the police report, Hickerson showed officers a bag containing medication Panettiere had been taking. Zach Hickerson was described as visibly emotional as emergency personnel attempted to save her.
Hickerson later addressed Panettiere’s death through his attorney, Sloan Ellis. “Hayden’s death remains under investigation and it is important to allow that investigation to proceed,” Ellis said. “As has been publicly reported, police confirmed there were no signs of foul play.”
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Ellis added that there would be no further comment out of respect for Panettiere’s loved ones and the ongoing investigation.
Panettiere and Hickerson’s relationship had previously drawn public attention because of multiple domestic violence incidents. Hickerson was arrested several times on domestic violence-related charges during their relationship.
In 2020, following his arrest on eight domestic violence charges, Panettiere released a statement saying she was speaking publicly in hopes of helping others in abusive relationships seek support.
“I am prepared to do my part to make sure this man never hurts anyone again. I’m grateful for my support system, which helped me find the courage to regain my voice and my life.”
In a 2022 interview with People, she said her time with Hickerson was part of a “very dark and complicated time” of her life.
She added: “I wanted to party, I wanted to do everything I wasn’t supposed to do. Acting was my life, but I felt so bad about myself that I lost trust in myself. And that is very detrimental.
“The idea of not having a responsibility was very appealing at the time.”
Panettiere’s death is an ongoing investigation.
