{
  "id": 2295541,
  "title": "Hayden Panettiere’s boyfriend Brian Hickerson breaks silence on her death; mother calls him ‘toxic’",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/21/hayden-panettieres-boyfriend-brian-hickerson-breaks-silence-on-her",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-21T04:04:51.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Indian Express",
    "slug": "the-indian-express",
    "url": "https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/hollywood/hayden-panettieres-boyfriend-brian-hickerson-breaks-silence-on-her-death-mother-calls-him-toxic-10842721/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Brian Hickerson, the boyfriend of late actress Hayden Panettiere, has broken his silence regarding her death. Panettiere, aged 36, passed away on August 16, prompting an investigation by the police and the Drug Enforcement Administration. Hickerson's attorney, Sloan Ellis, released a statement expressing respect for the ongoing investigation and declining further comment. According to TMZ, Hickerson and Panettiere were reportedly with her at the time of her death in South Carolina. Panettiere’s mother, Lesley Vogel, had previously criticized Hickerson as a \"toxic individual\" responsible for her death. The couple had a tumultuous on-again, off-again relationship, with Hickerson having a history of domestic violence.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [
    "Brian Hickerson speaks about Hayden Panettiere's death.",
    "Panettiere died on August 16 at age 36.",
    "Hickerson's mother calls him 'toxic' responsible for her death."
  ],
  "editors_take": "Hayden Panettiere's mother labelling her boyfriend as toxic lends weight to concerns that their troubled relationship may have contributed to her death, amid an ongoing investigation into the circumstances.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}