Hayden Panettiere’s boyfriend Brian Hickerson makes first public comments over death

Hayden Panettiere’s on-again, off-again boyfriend Brian Hickerson has made his first public comments following the star’s death earlier this week .

Hickerson and his brother Zach were both in the apartment complex where the actor went into cardiac arrest and died according to police reports.

“Hayden’s death remains under investigation and it is important to allow that investigation to proceed,” Hickerson’s lawyer said in a statement provided to US outlet TMZ overnight Thursday (AEST).

“As has been publicly reported, police confirmed there were no signs of foul play … Out of respect for Hayden’s loved ones and the ongoing investigation, there will be no further comment at this time,” the statement said.

The Greenville Police Department confirmed on Tuesday (US time), via a heavily redacted report, that it was the Hickerson brothers who made the 911 call over the weekend.

Hickerson, who dated Panettiere on-and-off from 2018, reportedly “did not become emotional” until paramedics officially declared her dead. He spoke with the police about the actor, and showed them “a bag of medications” she had been taking, according to the police report. The names of the medications were redacted.

Hickerson and his brother Zach – who Panettiere also reportedly dated in 2019 – have not been accused of any involvement in Panettiere’s death. A preliminary investigation did not indicate any signs of foul play or suspicious circumstances, and the Greenville County Coroner’s Office reported no signs of trauma that would have contributed to her death. The case is still under investigation, and the official cause and manner of Panettiere’s death remains pending.

Hickerson’s presence at the scene has brought his turbulent relationship with Panettiere back into the spotlight. The actor detailed several instances of abuse by Hickerson in her memoir This Is Me: A Reckoning , released in May.

The relationship appeared to end in 2020 amid the allegations. During recent interviews to promote her memoir, Panettiere even recounted her efforts to distance herself from an abusive boyfriend. “Abusers – they weave themselves like weeds into your life,” she said on a podcast in May .

Following her death, Panettiere’s estranged mother Lesley Vogel told US outlets that Panettiere was trying to distance herself from Hickerson, but she “lost her way”.

“This person in her life that we have been trying to get rid of for quite some time was with her at her death, and that was Brian Hickerson,” Vogel told NBC News this week . “I think Hayden sadly lost her way, and I wish it were different … I wish she had stayed true to herself because she had many incredible attributes.”

Police attended the home of Hickerson’s family on Wednesday (US time), just days after Panettiere went into cardiac arrest. However, the Greenville Police Department said this was a welfare check , and it did not relate to the investigation into the actor’s death. No incident report was required.

Hickerson is a 37-year-old aspiring actor from South Carolina. His romantic relationship with Panettiere reportedly began in 2018 when they met in West Hollywood.