Brian Hickerson, the on-and-off boyfriend of late actress Hayden Panettiere, has issued his first public comments since her death through his attorney.
Attorney Sloan Ellis, who represents Hickerson, delivered a short statement to
TMZ on Thursday addressing the actress's passing.
"Hayden's death remains under investigation, and it is important to allow that investigation to proceed. As has been publicly reported, police confirmed there were no signs of foul play," the statement said. "Out of respect for Hayden's loved ones and the ongoing investigation, there will be no further comment at this time.”
The statement represents Hickerson's first public reaction since Panettiere, 36, died Aug. 16 at a temporary apartment where she was staying in Greenville, South Carolina.
Panettiere was
found unresponsive at the Judson Mill Lofts apartment complex on Easley Bridge Road after an acquaintance called 911 to report a woman suffering cardiac arrest. Emergency crews performed advanced life-support measures but could not revive her, and she was pronounced dead at the scene at 2:31 p.m., according to the Greenville County Coroner's Office. An autopsy conducted the following day found no signs of trauma, though the official cause and manner of death remain pending toxicology results that could take up to eight weeks.
Police records released this week show that Hickerson and his brother, Zach Hickerson,
were present at the apartment when Panettiere died. The responding officer noted that Brian Hickerson did not appear visibly emotional until paramedics declared Panettiere dead, while Zach Hickerson was described as "very emotional" during resuscitation efforts. Brian Hickerson later showed officers a bag of medication he said Panettiere had been taking, though the specific drugs were redacted from the report.
Panettiere's
mother, Lesley Vogel, told NBC News that her family had long been wary of Hickerson and had opposed her daughter's decision to rekindle the relationship, describing him as someone the family had been "trying to get rid of for quite some time.” Vogel said a narcotics investigator was brought in to assist with the probe into her daughter's death.
Previous Abuse Case
Hickerson, a 37-year-old aspiring actor, was convicted in 2021 after pleading no contest to two counts of injuring a spouse or partner stemming from a 2020 domestic violence case involving Panettiere. He served brief jail time and was sentenced to four years of probation along with anger management and Alcoholics Anonymous classes.
In her memoir, "This Is Me: A Reckoning," Panettiere wrote of the relationship, "I wanted Brian to be in jail just long enough to scare him, but not long enough where'd he become a worse person. I needed him to admit his wrongs and change because of them, but I didn't want to traumatize him in an irreversible way.”
Panettiere's former fiancé, boxer
Wladimir Klitschko, with whom she shares 11-year-old daughter Kaya, also broke his silence this week, writing on Instagram that "our family is going through a time of profound shock and grief.”
Panettiere, known for roles in "Heroes," "Nashville," and "Scream VI," would have turned 37 on Friday.
