Brian Hickerson’s brother, Zach, was spotted for the first time since Hayden Panettiere’s tragic passing, with it being Zach discovering the beloved actress unresponsive in a Greenville, South Carolina, residence. Photos obtained by TMZ show Zach picking up food from a pizza place in South Carolina.
The outlet reported on Tuesday, Aug. 18, that Brian was inside the Airbnb in Greenville. Zach entered the residence and found Panettiere unresponsive in a chair in the living room, suffering from cardiac arrest. Brian was asleep in another room. A Greenville police report detailed how Zach was emotional as paramedics tried to revive Hayden, while Brian didn’t show emotion until the actress was pronounced dead.
An autopsy has been performed, but the exact cause and manner of death have not been determined. Police added that the “preliminary investigation has not indicated any signs of foul play or suspicious circumstances.”
Who Is Brian Hickerson?
Panettiere’s relationship with Hickerson was very turbulent, with Hickerson being arrested multiple times over alleged abuse, according to Panettiere’s recent memoir and reports. The two first began dating in August 2018.
“It was a very dark and complicated time in my life,” Panettiere told PEOPLE exclusively in July 2022. “But a lot of women go through what I went through, and I want people to know it’s okay to ask for help.”
Hayden Panettiere’s Mother Speaks Out & Calls Out Brian Hickerson In First Public Comments Since Her Passing
GettyPanettiere has been open about her strained relationship with her mother, speaking about it at length in her memoir, which was released earlier this year titled This Is Me: A Reckoning. And following news of her death, her mother broke her silence, speaking on a phone interview with NBC News on Tuesday, Aug. 18.
“I think Hayden was an amazingly talented person in so many departments and I think young people who grow up in the entertainment industry — it is a struggle and it’s a very challenging industry and it’s not unusual for them to sadly find the wrong path,” she said. “I think it becomes very difficult to be true to yourself, and 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.”
Lesley Vogel also briefly spoke about Hayden’s younger brother Jansen, who tragically passed away unexpectedly at the age of 28 in 2023.
“I just feel that she’s with her brother and they’re at peace,” Vogel added.
Vogel also spoke about Panettiere’s on-and-off boyfriend Brian Hickerson, who was with her when she was found dead.
“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,” she said. “There is a lot of history in the past that Brian has enabled Hayden many times and this is why her father and I had been concerned for a long time about him.”
