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Hayden Panettiere | Source: Getty Images
Hayden Panettiere, 36, Dead: The Man She Was with the Night Before and What She Said in Her Last Interview
The actress had spent the previous day traveling with someone whose troubled history with her once led to criminal charges. Weeks earlier, she had also ended an intensely personal interview with two reassuring lines that now sound painfully different.
Hayden Panettiere died on Sunday, August 16, 2026, at only 36. As police examined the circumstances surrounding her death, attention returned to the person who had accompanied her out of Los Angeles and the remarkably candid words she had recently shared about addiction, motherhood, and survival.
Hayden Panettiere, who started acting before she was barely a year old, touched audiences from an early age during her time on daytime television. In this photo, she posed with Erika Slezak, Tuc Watkins, Tyler Noyes, and Krista Tesreau for a promotional gallery shoot for “One Life to Live” on November 23, 1994. | Source: Getty Images
An Unanswered Call in South Carolina
Greenville police said officers and emergency medical personnel were sent to a South Carolina home at approximately 1:50 p.m. on August 16 after receiving a report of an unresponsive woman.
Medical assistance was given, but Panettiere was pronounced dead at the scene. According to the department, an acquaintance placed the 911 call.
Hayden Panettiere influenced the millennial generation while growing up with them on screen. In this photo, she appeared for an interview with Jay Leno on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” on October 3, 1996. | Source: Getty Images
Initial dispatch information referred to a person in cardiac arrest, and a separate report said a friend found Panettiere inside the home. Her publicist, Kasey Kitchen, confirmed that authorities were investigating. “There’s an investigation ongoing,” Kitchen said. “We should know more tomorrow.”
The Greenville Police Department and Greenville County Coroner’s Office were handling the open investigation. No cause or manner of death was immediately announced.
Authorities opened an investigation into the circumstances surrounding her death. In this photo, she attended the premiere of “A Bug’s Life” on November 14, 1998, in Los Angeles, California. | Source: Getty Images
Police said their preliminary findings had uncovered no indication of foul play or suspicious circumstances. A source close to Panettiere also said she had complained of back pain during the past year. There was no official suggestion that the pain had any connection to her death.
Her representative remembered her as far more than a familiar face on television.
Hayden Panettiere had only complained about back pain during the last year of her life. In this photo, she attended the opening of Dylan’s Candy Bar on October 16, 2001, in New York City, New York. | Source: Getty Images
“It is with profound sadness that we share the tragic passing of our beloved Hayden,” the representative said in a statement reported by NBC News. “She was an incredible light and a force of nature who brought immeasurable love and joy to all who knew her, and to the millions who watched her onscreen.”
Panettiere’s death arrived only months after she began discussing her private life with rare openness. Her comments covered everything from motherhood and addiction to relationships that ranged from peaceful to deeply troubling.
Hayden Panettiere drew renewed attention after her final interview and the two poignant lines she shared resurfaced. At this event, she attended the 6th Annual GM TEN Event arrivals at Paramount Studios on February 20, 2007, in Los Angeles, California. | Source: Getty Images
The Battle She Refused to Hide
In July 2026, Panettiere gave a deeply personal interview to MOMÉ magazine. She did not present herself as cured or pretend that recovery had erased the past.
Her account began with the birth of her daughter, Kaya, when a smooth pregnancy gave way to a frightening medical emergency. Panettiere experienced sharp pain in her lower back because the baby was pressing against a bundle of nerves, and she was eventually taken for a cesarean section.
Hayden Panettiere faced extreme, life-threatening complications during the birth of her daughter. At this event, she enjoyed cotton candy at the “Scooby-Doo” DVD Launch Event “Escape From Spooky Island” on Roosevelt Island on October 9, 2002, in New York City, New York. | Source: Getty Images
After Kaya was placed on her chest, someone called a “code crimson.” The newborn was handed to Panettiere’s then-fiancé, Wladimir Klitschko, while medical workers rushed to control Panettiere’s hemorrhaging.
Panettiere later learned that the strange suctioning sound she heard in the room was her own blood being removed. Seven transfusions and a second surgery were required to repair the damaged vessels and save her life.
Doctors raced to save Hayden Panettiere as she faced critical medical complications. At this event, she attended the premiere of “Raising Helen” during the 3rd Annual Tribeca Film Festival at Tribeca Performing Arts Center on May 1, 2004, in New York City, New York. | Source: Getty Images
“I closed my eyes and just prayed for my daughter to be okay,” she recalled. “I truly was ready to go if it was my time. Kaya being safe and healthy was all that mattered.”
Her emotional crisis continued after the physical danger had passed. While watching Klitschko rock their daughter in the hospital, Panettiere felt none of the instant connection she had expected. “I felt nothing,” she said. “And now I had to figure out how to bond with her. It seemed like an impossible task.”
The hardest part for Hayden Panettiere was not the medical procedures, but what came later. At this event, she attended the premiere of “Tiger Cruise” at The Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum on August 3, 2004, in New York City, New York. | Source: Getty Images
Panettiere had imagined motherhood in detail before giving birth, including the activities she would share with her future “mini-me.” The numbness that followed left her ashamed and confused.
She said she appeared blessed on the outside while feeling empty on the inside. She began using wine to silence that emptiness, and the habit developed into dangerous territory.
Hayden Panettiere turned to alcohol for comfort during difficult times. In this photo, she skated with Juliana Cannarozzo at the after party for “The Ice Princess” on March 13, 2005, in Hollywood, California. | Source: Getty Images
“I turned to wine, which ultimately ended up leading to an alcohol dependency,” she explained. “It was how I would get through each day.”
People around Panettiere saw the addiction but did not initially understand the depression beneath it. Even after she received a postpartum depression diagnosis, she said treatment remained focused on her drinking instead of its source.
Panettiere wished the illness had been recognized sooner. Treatment helped her become sober, but she remained in denial about how much healing was still ahead.
She was actively fighting substance abuse when she agreed that her daughter should live with Klitschko in Ukraine in 2018. “It wasn’t a decision I made lightly, nor was it a decision I even wanted to make,” she said. “I knew I needed to be able to put her first so that I could get the help I needed and be the mom she needed me to be.”
No one told Hayden Panettiere that the addiction was part of a much bigger problem. At this event, she attended the 255 Hudson and Classic Car Club Manhattan Event Hosted by Wilmer Valderrama with Sebastian Stan on May 4, 2006, in New York City, New York. | Source: Getty Images
Hayden Panettiere eventually saw her daughter go to live with her father in Ukraine. At this event, she posed with Adrian Pasdar at the NBC Primetime Upfront at Radio City Music Hall on May 15, 2006, in New York City, New York. | Source: Getty Images
Panettiere later believed a temporary separation would allow her to seek help and eventually rebuild her time with Kaya, but she ultimately signed papers giving Klitschko full custody.
“It was the worst signing those papers, the most heartbreaking thing I’ve ever, ever had to do in my life,” she said in 2022.
Signing full custody over to her ex was one of the hardest decisions Hayden Panettiere ever made. At this event, she presented onstage with Tommy Lee at the “VH1 Big in ’06 Awards” at Sony Studios on December 2, 2006, in Culver City, California. | Source: Getty Images
Still, Panettiere remained in frequent contact with her girl and felt deeply connected to her. She proudly called her daughter a “mini-me.” She hoped Kaya would eventually understand why they could not always live together.
Therapy had also taught Panettiere that forgiveness needed to include herself. “You have to let go of what you wish you could change, and be present, and make the most of what you have now,” she said.
Hayden Panettiere also discussed the heartbreaking loss of her brother Jansen in her memoir. At this event, she arrived with him at the NBC/Universal Golden Globe After Party at the Beverly Hilton on January 15, 2007, in Beverly Hills, California. | Source: Getty Images
Her Final Words Now Feel Painfully Different
Despite everything, Panettiere refused to call herself a victim in that last interview. “I’m a warrior,” she declared, describing herself as resilient after surviving more trauma than she ever expected to face.
She also resisted offering a neat recovery story. “I’m a work in progress. We all are,” she told MOMÉ. “I take each day as it comes. I’m doing the work, and I’m doing my best.”
Hayden Panettiere candidly shared that she was still a work in progress during her final interview. At this event, she performed onstage with Adrian Pasdar at the “Netflix Live! On Location” concert series featuring “The Band From TV” at The Autry National Center of the American West on August 9, 2008, in Los Angeles, California. | Source: Getty Images
Her self-care had become quiet and practical. She set boundaries, journaled, resisted the urge to please everyone, and stayed near people who made her feel safe.
Panettiere also enjoyed tea and a good book. Creating something she could bring into the world made her feel most alive, and she wanted her experiences to help others facing similar pain.
Hayden Panettiere began an on-and-off relationship with Wladimir Klitschko in 2009. At this event, she posed with him at the Best of Musical Gala at Color Line Arena on January 30, 2009, in Hamburg, Germany. | Source: Getty Images
The interview closed with a question about what she would tell her frightened, exhausted younger self. Panettiere’s answer was also meant for any new mother who felt numb, alone, or convinced she was failing.
Her message was hopeful when she gave it. After her sudden death, its two short sentences feel almost unbearably poignant.
“You’re stronger than you know. And you’re going to be just fine.”
The two lines Hayden Panettiere shared during her final interview stood out poignantly after her passing. At this event, she arrived with Julia Roberts at the premiere of “Fireflies in the Garden” at the Pacific Theater at The Grove on October 12, 2011, in Los Angeles, California. | Source: Getty Images
Those words reflected the survival instinct that ran throughout Panettiere’s life. The same intensity could also be seen in the way she approached love, even when a relationship left her shattered.
The Relationships That Shaped Her Private Life
Stephen Colletti was one of Panettiere’s first public boyfriends. They were linked in 2006 and dated for nearly two years before separating by the end of 2007.
Hayden Panettiere dated the “Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County” star for a while in the 2000s. At this event, she posed with Stephen Colletti at the Teen Vogue Young Hollywood Party at the Sunset Tower Hotel on September 21, 2006, in West Hollywood, California. | Source: Getty Images
In a May 2026 cover story, Panettiere said Colletti had been particularly helpful when paparazzi and tabloid attention began closing in around her. His experience on “Laguna Beach,” which he starred on from 2004 to 2005, meant he already understood that kind of scrutiny.
Panettiere described Colletti as “very protective” and said he dealt with reporters diplomatically. He showed her that boundaries could be firm without becoming rude or hostile.
Stephen Colletti remained protective of Hayden Panettiere during their relationship. At this event, she attended the Orange County Flyers game with him at Cal State Fullerton on July 21, 2007, in Fullerton, California. | Source: Getty Images
Their separation was gentle by celebrity-breakup standards. “We just ended up going our separate ways, there wasn’t really a story there,” she said. “Like, no drama.”
Panettiere encountered Colletti again in 2026 after years apart and said the reunion was pleasant. Although they had not stayed as close as she wished, she remained grateful for the way he treated her.
Hayden Panettiere and Stephen Colletti saw their relationship come to a natural end. At this event, she attended the Blackberry Bold launch party with him at a private residence on October 30, 2008, in Beverly Hills, California. | Source: Getty Images
Her relationship with “Heroes” costar Milo Ventimiglia carried a different emotional intensity. Panettiere was 18, and Ventimiglia was 29, creating a nearly 12-year age gap.
Panettiere said she entered every relationship with her “whole self” and once believed the romance could keep developing toward marriage. Still, she struggled to place the word “I” before “love you,” a hesitation she did not yet understand.
Hayden Panettiere felt crushed when he tried to end things with her. At this event, she participated in the Jules Verne Adventure Film Festival Closing Night: Lifetime Achievement Award to Stan Lee with a Tribute to “Heroes” alongside Milo Ventimiglia at The Los Angeles Theater on December 15, 2007, in Los Angeles, California. | Source: Getty Images
Their breakup crushed her. When asked whether Ventimiglia briefly reversed his decision because of her reaction, Panettiere answered with painful bluntness in a separate Us interview. “One hundred percent it was only because I was over the toilet, hysterically crying,” she said.
She remembered feeling as though her world had collapsed because no betrayal or explosive confrontation had warned her it was coming. According to Panettiere, Ventimiglia took the breakup back after witnessing her distress, then ended the relationship again one week later.
Although he initially took back the breakup, Milo Ventimiglia followed through a week later and ended things for good. During this outing, she was seen with him on August 10, 2008, in Hollywood, California. | Source: Getty Images
Panettiere later became involved with professional boxer and father of her daughter, Klitschko. Their on-and-off relationship began in 2009, and they became engaged in 2013. Panettiere and Klitschko ultimately separated in August 2018.
Wladimir Klitschko fathered Hayden Panettiere’s only daughter, Kaya. At this event, she arrived with him at the premiere of “The Perfect Game” at The Grove Theatre on April 5, 2010, in Los Angeles, California. | Source: Getty Images
Hayden Panettiere maintained several good relationships in the past even when they ended under difficult circumstances, but Brian was different. At this event, she attended The Daily Front Row and Faena Art Celebrate the Launch of The Daily’s Miami Edition, Featuring Act One with Wladimir Klitschko at The Faena Art Dome on November 29, 2016, in Miami Beach, Florida. | Source: Getty Images
Between an earlier split from Klitschko and their later engagement, Panettiere dated former New York Jets player Scotty McKnight. The relationship ended in late 2012.
Sources said the pair had separated several weeks before the news became public. The breakup was reportedly friendly, and the former couple remained on good terms; one source even suggested a future reunion was in the cards.
The last man known to have traveled with Panettiere had a considerably darker history with her.
Hayden Panettiere and Scotty McKnight were together for a brief period following her separation from Wladimir Klitschko. During this outing, they posed together on April 9, 2012, in Honolulu, Hawaii. | Source: Getty Images
The Man Beside Her on Her Final Trip
On Saturday, August 15, one day before her death, Panettiere reportedly flew from Los Angeles to the South with her on-again, off-again boyfriend, Brian Hickerson.
The detail was especially jarring because Hickerson was not simply an old flame. Their relationship had previously involved arrests, allegations of abuse, a protective order, and a jail sentence.
The last man Hayden Panettiere was seen with the day before her passing marked her most troubled relationship. At this event, she arrived at the “71st Annual Golden Globe Awards” at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on January 12, 2014, in Beverly Hills, California. | Source: Getty Images
Panettiere and Hickerson were first linked in August 2018, shortly after reports of her separation from Klitschko. By May 2019, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office had charged Hickerson with one felony count of injuring a spouse, cohabitant, or girlfriend following his arrest over an alleged physical altercation.
He was released after posting a $50,000 bond. At that stage, a conviction could have carried a prison sentence of up to four years, according to the 2019 report.
Brian Hickerson faced multiple arrests, serious allegations, and legal troubles throughout their turbulent relationship. During this outing, she was seen with him on January 31, 2019, in Los Angeles, California. | Source: Getty Images
People close to Panettiere expressed concern about the romance. One source described Hickerson as controlling and prone to anger, while another called him a bad influence. Hickerson publicly rejected those worries and said Panettiere was happy and healthy.
Yet his legal troubles involving her continued. In February 2020, Hickerson was arrested in Jackson, Wyoming, after allegedly punching Panettiere on the right side of her face with a closed fist. He was charged with misdemeanor domestic battery and interference with a police officer and reportedly pleaded not guilty.
Hayden Panettiere entered one of the most difficult periods of her romantic life that year. During this outing, she was seen on August 2, 2018, in Los Angeles, California. | Source: Getty Images
A later California indictment included four felony counts of corporal injury, two felony counts of assault with a deadly weapon, one felony count of attempting to dissuade Panettiere as a witness, and a misdemeanor battery count. The allegations covered incidents between May 2019 and January 2020.
In 2021, Hickerson pleaded no contest to two felony counts of injuring a spouse, cohabitant, girlfriend, or child’s parent. The remaining charges were dropped during sentencing.
Brian Hickerson was sentenced to forty-five days in jail after pleading guilty to felony domestic violence charges. For this appearance, Hayden Panettiere attended The Hollywood Reporter Emmy Party on September 10, 2022, in Los Angeles, California. | Source: Getty Images
He received 45 days in jail, four years of formal probation, 52 domestic violence classes, $500 in restitution, and a five-year protective order.
Panettiere had previously issued a forceful statement about the abuse she said she endured. She explained that she was speaking publicly in the hope that other people in abusive relationships would seek help.
Despite everything, they remained together for a long time. At this event, she was seen with Brian Hickerson at the celebration of life for Jansen Panettiere on March 8, 2023, in Palisades, New York. | Source: Getty Images
“I am prepared to do my part to make sure this man never hurts anyone again,” she said. She also thanked the people who helped her regain her voice and her life.
Her attorney, Alan Jackson, described Panettiere as a survivor of years of psychological, emotional, and severe physical abuse. He said her decision to cooperate with prosecutors was part of a healing process that had only just begun.
Hayden Panettiere tried to persevere and make sure Brian could not hurt anyone else. At this event, she attended the amfAR Gala at Pacific Design Center on November 3, 2022, in West Hollywood, California. | Source: Getty Images
Despite that painful record, Panettiere and Hickerson’s connection became on-again, off-again. He was reportedly the man traveling with her the day before she died. Still, the available reports did not accuse Hickerson of involvement in her death.
Hickerson’s family was reportedly aware of Panettiere’s death. Further details about the pair’s trip, including where they stayed and why they traveled south, were not immediately available.
Only months before that final journey, Panettiere had publicly put words to another part of herself for the first time.
Brian Hickerson’s family was made aware of Hayden Panettiere’s tragic passing following news reports. At this event, she attended the premiere of “Scream VI” at AMC Lincoln Square on March 6, 2023, in New York City, New York. | Source: Getty Images
She Finally Said It Out Loud
During her May 2026 interview with Us, Panettiere was asked whether she identified with labels such as bisexual or queer. Her answer was direct, confident, and clearly meaningful to her.
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“Now that I know that this book is coming out, and that I’ve chosen to share it with the world, I’m comfortable to confidently say that yes, I am bisexual,” she said in the May interview.
“I said it! This is the first time I got to say it out loud.”
Hayden Panettiere finally spoke openly about her sexuality. For this taping, she talked to Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager on “Today” at Studio 1A on September 24, 2024, in New York City, New York. | Source: Getty Images
The disclosure added another deeply personal chapter to her memoir “This Is Me: A Reckoning.” After years of having her relationships examined in headlines, Panettiere was finally identifying herself on her own terms.
Her willingness to speak so plainly mattered because audiences had watched her for nearly her entire life.
On social media, she looked extremely happy, especially regarding the release of her book. This is a photo posted in April 2026. | Source: Instagram/haydenpanettiere
A Career Millennials Grew Up Watching
Panettiere entered the entertainment business before she was old enough to remember it. She signed with Wilhelmina Models at eight months old and booked her first commercial at 11 months.
Hayden began acting before she even turned one year old. This is a throwback photo of her and her brother, Jansen, posted on September 25, 2025. | Source: Instagram/haydenpanettiere
One of Panettiere’s first memorable movie roles came in the 2000 sports drama “Remember the Titans.” Playing Sheryl Yoast opposite Denzel Washington introduced her to a much larger audience.
In 2005, she starred in “Ice Princess” alongside Michelle Trachtenberg. The Disney movie became one of the projects that made both young actresses especially familiar to millennial audiences.
Panettiere’s defining television breakthrough followed with “Heroes.” As cheerleader Claire Bennet, she became central to a hit series whose famous message about saving the cheerleader entered pop culture.
She later took on the role of country singer Juliette Barnes in “Nashville.” The performance earned her multiple award nominations and allowed her to portray ambition, addiction, fame, and motherhood with an uncomfortable degree of emotional realism.
Some of Juliette’s experiences eventually resembled Panettiere’s own life. She later acknowledged the strain of repeatedly entering those dark emotional places while filming the series for long hours over several years.
Panettiere also played Kirby Reed in “Scream 4” and returned for “Scream VI.” Video game fans knew her voice and likeness from “Until Dawn.”
Hayden Panettiere made one of her final on-screen appearances during a daytime broadcast. For this taping, she appeared on “Tamron Hall” at the ABC Broadcast Center on May 20, 2026, in New York City, New York. | Source: Getty Images
Behind those performances, her private life became increasingly difficult, which she discussed in her book. It also confronted the death of her younger brother, Jansen Panettiere, who died in 2023 at 28. Panettiere later spoke about the grief and guilt she carried after losing him.
She was last publicly spotted by TMZ at LaGuardia Airport in May 2026 with a friend, shortly before the memoir’s release. She offered no major declaration that day, only a noticeable grin as she continued through the airport.
An actress who influenced a generation is gone far too soon. Panettiere leaves behind her daughter, Kaya, a body of work that shaped millennial pop culture, and the memory of a woman who kept trying to turn her hardest experiences into something that might help another person.
Our deepest condolences go to Panettiere’s daughter, family, friends, colleagues, and everyone mourning her loss.
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