Boyfriend of Hayden Panettiere was at apartment when actor died

Brian Hickerson and his brother Zach were present at the Greenville, South Carolina apartment of Hayden Panettiere when she tragically passed away over the weekend. According to a police report released on Tuesday, the brothers were at the scene when emergency responders arrived on Sunday afternoon. They observed paramedics performing CPR on an unresponsive woman and noted that the patient appeared to have no obvious physical reason for being unconscious.

Despite their attempts, emergency workers pronounced Panettiere dead at 2:31 pm. The cause of death remains under investigation, with no signs of trauma found in the autopsy. Police concluded there was no evidence of foul play. Panettiere, known for her roles in Heroes and Nashville, had battled alcohol addiction and depression throughout her career.

She and Hickerson had been in a tumultuous relationship, with allegations of physical abuse against her. Hickerson faced multiple felony abuse charges in 2020, serving time in jail and completing probation, anger management, and Alcoholics Anonymous sessions. Panettiere wrote about her hope that the jail time would help Hickerson change, but not become a worse person.

Despite her efforts to forgive him, Hickerson was not granted a reduction in his conviction on Thursday.