The brother of Hayden Panettiere’s on-off boyfriend Brian Hickerson has spoken out days after the Nashville star’s death.
Panettiere died August 16 at an apartment in Greenville, South Carolina, aged 36. A cause of death has not yet been revealed.
Zach Hickerson, 38, spoke Friday on what would have been the Heroes star’s 37th birthday, sharing how he and Brian found Panettiere unconscious. He claimed that the trio had plans to get lunch and go indoor golfing Sunday before tragedy struck.
“When I left church I called and texted both of them. When I didn’t reach Brian or Hayden, I just assumed maybe they fell back asleep so I drove over and went to the Airbnb. When I got there I knew the code to the building but not the door code to the AirBnb,” Zach told TMZ.
“I knocked loudly which apparently woke Brian up from a nap they were both taking on the pull out couch bed in the living room. When we went in and tried to wake Hayden up for lunch, we realized she was unconscious.”
Zach also claimed to the outlet that “Brian gave her Narcan,” the medication commonly administered to offset an opioid overdose.
According to a police incident report viewed by The Independent, Brian and Zach called 911 when they realized Panettiere was unconscious. Officers recorded that Zach was emotional as emergency services worked to save Panettiere’s life, but that Brian only became emotional after she was officially declared dead. The report also stated that Brian turned over a “bag of medication” belonging to Panettiere to investigators. The names of the medications were redacted.
A cause of death has not been revealed, but an autopsy showed no signs of trauma.
Panettiere’s death is being investigated.
One day after police reportedly began probing whether there could be criminal conduct behind Panettiere’s death, Brian broke his silence via his lawyer, saying, in part, “it is important to allow that investigation to proceed.”
That now reportedly involves the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, who joined the investigation into Panettiere’s death on Wednesday, according to a person familiar with the case who spoke to The New York Times.
Panettiere’s death was confirmed in a statement released by her father.
“It is with profound sadness that we share the tragic passing of our beloved Hayden,” Panettiere’s father, Skip, said Sunday to ABC 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.”
Known for her roles in the 2000 film Remember the Titans, the 2006 NBC series Heroes, and the 2012 ABC series Nashville, Panettiere was also the face of skincare brand Neutrogena for a decade.
After her death, Panettiere’s comments from earlier this year that Neutrogena “fired” her in 2015 after she spoke about her postpartum depression resurfaced, prompting intense backlash against the brand.
Neutrogena issued a formal public apology Thursday, acknowledging “we made her feel unsupported during a very difficult time.”
Today is Hayden’s birthday. Instead of celebrating the way we had planned, today we celebrate her life, her spirit, and the love she brought into this world.
— Klitschko (@Klitschko) August 21, 2026
I want to thank all of Hayden’s fans, friends, and everyone who has reached out for the incredible outpouring of love and… pic.twitter.com/9WifWMPQpM
Panettiere became a mother in December 2014, when she and former fiancé, Ukrainian heavyweight boxer Wladimir Klitschko, welcomed their daughter, Kaya. Panettiere later gave Klitschko full custody of Kaya in 2018 while she was struggling with addiction and postpartum depression.
She spoke about the decision again in 2022, telling Facebook Watch’s Red Table Talk podcast that signing the papers was “the most heartbreaking thing I’ve ever had to do in my life.”
Klitschko released a statement after Panettiere’s death and another Friday to mark what would have been her 37th birthday.
“You are loved, you are missed, and you will never be forgotten,” he wrote in part.
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