Actress Hayden Panettiere has died at an apartment block in Greenville, South Carolina, at the age of 36.
Detectives confirmed to the Daily Mail that they responded to a 911 call from an unnamed acquaintance describing the star as unresponsive on Sunday afternoon. Officers and paramedics arrived at the scene and performed chest compressions in an attempt to save her life.
The first emergency call was placed at 1:51 p.m., and Panettiere was pronounced dead at 2:32 p.m., just over 40 minutes later. She was due to turn 37 on Friday.
Police and the local coroner's office are probing her death. Authorities stated that a preliminary investigation showed no signs of foul play or suspicious circumstances. TMZ reported that the actress had complained of back pain over the past year.
One day before her death, Panettiere had flown from Los Angeles to South Carolina alongside her former partner Brian Hickerson. He was among the last people to see her alive, though it remained unclear whether the pair had resumed their romantic relationship or were traveling as friends.
Emergency response and death investigation
Panettiere and Hickerson, a budding actor and real estate agent, had an on-and-off relationship between 2018 and 2022 that was marked by domestic violence and multiple arrests.
The couple met at West Hollywood bar The Abbey and were first spotted together in public in August 2018 while holding hands during a dinner date. Reports emerged immediately afterward that Panettiere had ended her nine-year relationship with professional boxer Wladimir Klitschko, with whom she welcomed a daughter, Kaya, in 2014.
Although early reports suggested the couple were having fun and getting serious, public concern arose within months. Sources told Us Weekly in November 2018 that the pair partied heavily together. One insider alleged that it was an unhealthy situation and that Panettiere did not listen to advice from those close to her.
Police arrested Hickerson for domestic violence in May 2019 after responding to an altercation at their home, where officers observed redness and marks on Panettiere's body.
On Valentine's Day in February 2020, Hickerson was arrested again in Jackson, Wyoming, after allegedly punching Panettiere in the face. Police noted that his demeanor changed immediately and he avoided questions when asked about the assault. He pleaded not guilty to domestic battery, and the court outcome remained unclear.
In April 2021, Hickerson was sentenced to 45 days in jail following an eight-count criminal indictment covering abusive incidents between May 2019 and January 2020. Under a plea deal, he pleaded no contest to felony charges of injuring a spouse or girlfriend while six other charges were dismissed. He served 13 days in jail, received four years of probation, and was handed a five-year protective order requiring him to stay away from Panettiere.
Domestic violence arrests and legal history
Hickerson later expressed regret to TMZ, citing drugs and alcohol as part of the problem. The pair were spotted together at a Los Angeles bar in July 2021 before splitting in 2022. However, the New York Times reported that Hickerson was present at Panettiere's home during an interview in April 2023, where she explained they had reconnected after both became sober.
Panettiere told the New York Times she did not make the decision lightly, adding that Hickerson knew he deserved what happened to him and acknowledging that feelings remained. In March of this year, they were spotted together at an airport, prompting her spokesperson to clarify that they were not in a romantic relationship and remained friends.
In May, Panettiere published her memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning, in which she detailed the alleged physical abuse she suffered. She wrote that she heard the unmistakable sound of an open-hand slap before feeling a burning on her cheek and ringing in her head. She stated that before turning physical, Hickerson screamed in her face with unprecedented rage.
In her book, Panettiere recalled trying to convince herself the abuse was not real because she loved him. She disclosed that slaps eventually became hits, describing an attack that left her face so badly bruised she did not leave her house for weeks. She also described another incident where he ordered her to run as far as she could in five seconds to get a head start before he threw a remote control at her.
Memoir revelations and abusive relationship
Ahead of the memoir release, Panettiere told Us Weekly that revisiting the domestic violence was traumatic and brutal. She compared removing an abusive person to pulling a weed that continuously returns, noting that abusive partners always manage to slither back in.
Hickerson also spoke to TMZ prior to the book launch, stating that domestic violence education came too late in life for many people. He admitted to drinking heavily and getting physical with Panettiere, saying he spent the night in jail and understood why her friends were angry. He added that a person should never lay hands on a woman.
During that interview, Hickerson called Panettiere a good buddy and mentioned they had spoken the previous day about her book, which he predicted would be a hit. He admitted hoping they might marry one day, but conceded she was immensely talented and that they probably would not be good together. He revealed he was enrolled in Alcoholics Anonymous under group leader Shia LaBeouf, whom he credited with saving his life. The Daily Mail reached out to Hickerson for comment following her death.
Hickerson career background and former roles
Hickerson, a South Carolina native who moved to Los Angeles to pursue acting and real estate, graduated from the University of South Carolina in 2011. He worked as vice president of sales at a landscaping and construction company before joining legal recruiting firm Adams & Martin Group as a business solutions manager in 2015, leaving in 2017 to work as a contract corporate recruiter at RealtyMogul.com. He had one screen acting credit in the drama M.F.A. alongside Francesca Eastwood and Clifton Collins Jr.
Since April 2019, Hickerson has listed his position as executive assistant for an undisclosed high-profile client, managing a residence, directing household staff, providing 24/7 support, and offering physical security during travel. Before dating Panettiere, he was reportedly in a relationship with model Baskin Champion in 2018. His social media activity declined in recent years, with his final Instagram post on December 12, 2024, showing him playing on an F1 racing simulator.
Panettiere acting career and personal life
Panettiere began acting as a child in soap operas before gaining wider recognition in the 2000 sports drama Remember the Titans with Denzel Washington and voicing Dot in Pixar's 1998 animated movie A Bug's Life.
She gained global fame portraying cheerleader Claire Bennet in the superhero series Heroes and later starred as country singer Juliette Barnes for six seasons on Nashville. Her role on Nashville earned two Golden Globe nominations for best supporting actress, while her singing produced 11 entries on the US Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. Her film credits include Bring It On: All or Nothing, Raising Helen, and playing Kirby Reed in Scream 4 and Scream VI.
In 2018, Panettiere announced she had made the decision to sign full custody of her daughter Kaya to her former partner Klitschko, after which the child moved to his native Ukraine. Panettiere explained that a deep depression left her feeling nothing, leading her to turn to wine and enter rehabilitation for depression and substance abuse.
