Brian Hickerson spoke candidly about his turbulent relationship with the Heroes actress just three months before her sudden death at 36.
Hayden Panettiere’s on-off boyfriend spoke candidly about their troubled relationship and why they were unlikely to get back together in what became one of his final interviews about the actress before her sudden death at 36.
The Heroes and Nashville star was found unresponsive at a residence in Greenville, South Carolina, on Sunday, 16 August, after an acquaintance called 911 at about 1.51pm.
Emergency crews found Hayden in cardiac arrest and attempted advanced life support before she was pronounced dead at 2.32pm.
An autopsy has since found no signs of trauma contributing to her death, while her cause and manner of death remain pending further testing.
Dispatch audio obtained by TMZ included references to an “overdose” and cardiac arrest, but authorities have not determined that an overdose caused her death.
Brian Hickerson, 37, had discussed his relationship with Hayden in interviews with TMZ in May, around the publication of her memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning.
He described his former girlfriend as “the sweetest thing in the world” and said: “It’s not about who you spend Saturday night with, it’s about who you spend all Sunday with, and Hayden Panettiere is a Sunday girl.”
Brian also described Hayden as the most talented person he had ever met, but acknowledged the difficulties surrounding their relationship and said he would be an “idiot” not to walk away and allow her to “flourish in her career”.
He added they “probably wouldn’t be good together”.
The pair had an on-off relationship after beginning to date in 2018.
Brian was arrested in 2020 following a domestic violence incident involving Hayden and was later convicted and jailed.
They subsequently reconnected after his release.
Despite the breakup, Brian told TMZ in May he still held out hope of marrying Hayden one day.
Hayden was subsequently approached at Los Angeles International Airport and asked about the possibility, laughing before making clear that she did not believe marriage between them was going to happen.
Brian’s interviews coincided with the release of Hayden’s memoir, in which she wrote about their relationship and the abuse she said she had experienced.
Brian told TMZ reading those passages had been difficult and said he had asked for one particularly dark episode to be removed, although it remained in the finished book.
He also said he believed accounts such as Hayden’s could help people who had been abusive change their behavior.
Hayden’s father, Alan “Skip” Panettiere, confirmed her death in a family statement. He said: “It is with profound sadness that we share the tragic passing of our beloved Hayden.
“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 on screen.”
The death came three years after Hayden lost her younger brother, actor Jansen Panettiere, who was 28 when he died in 2023.
Hayden had previously spoken publicly about addiction and postpartum depression, subjects she revisited in This Is Me: A Reckoning, released in May.
She also discussed the circumstances surrounding her daughter Kaya, 11, living with her father, former heavyweight boxing champion Wladimir Klitschko, 50.
Hayden and Wladimir had an on-off relationship and were previously engaged.
Only weeks before her death, Hayden had withdrawn from a scheduled appearance at Creep I.E. Aftermath in Ontario, California, on July 11 and 12.
Organisers said at the time: “Hayden Panettiere has an emergency and will not be able to attend this weekend. We are looking forward to her appearing at an upcoming show.”
The convention appearance had been set to include a rare Scream 4 reunion with Nico Tortorella.
Hayden was a familiar figure to horror audiences through her portrayal of Kirby Reed, first appearing in Scream 4 in 2011 before returning to the franchise in Scream VI.
She also played Samantha “Sam” Giddings in the 2015 horror video game Until Dawn.
Her best-known television breakthrough came as Claire Bennet, the seemingly indestructible cheerleader at the heart of NBC’s superhero drama Heroes, which ran from 2006 until 2010.
Hayden later starred as country singer Juliette Barnes in Nashville from 2012 to 2018, receiving two Golden Globe nominations for the role.
Her other credits included Remember the Titans, A Bug’s Life and the 2026 psychological thriller Sleepwalker, which became her final film role.
Hayden Panettiere’s ex revealed why their relationship was ‘probably’ doomed
