Hayden Panettiere kept friends “in the dark” about her apparent reunion with convicted abuser Brian Hickerson before her sudden death.
The “Heroes” star, 36, had reconnected with Hickerson in the months before she died Sunday in Greenville, South Carolina, but she hid the renewed contact from her inner circle, a source said. “If Brian was back in her life, then it was something she was hiding because she wasn’t speaking about it with many of her friends,” reports said. The source added that shame may have driven her silence: “If you’ve gone through some dark times with people, and spoken about it, then there can be shame if you get back together with that same person.”
Panettiere and Hickerson, 35, had been publicly seen together months before her death. The pair sparked reconciliation rumors after they were spotted together at LAX airport in March 2026, with Hickerson accompanying the actress as she walked on crutches. Reports said that just one day before her death, the actress flew from Los Angeles to South Carolina with Hickerson. She went to an apartment at the Judson Mill Lofts complex in Greenville that reports said was an Airbnb, where an unnamed female acquaintance called 911 at 1:51 p.m. Sunday to report an emergency. Dispatch audio obtained by TMZ revealed operators spoke of someone in “cardiac arrest” and mentioned “overdose” and “CPR in progress.” Paramedics tried to resuscitate Panettiere at the scene and provided “advanced cardiac life support” using medication, breathing tubes, and heart rhythm tracking, but she was pronounced dead at 2:32 p.m.
The Greenville Police Department said in a statement that “the preliminary investigation has not indicated any signs of foul play or suspicious circumstances.” An autopsy has been completed by the Greenville County Coroner’s Office, but a cause of death has not been officially determined.
In the viral moment that defined their toxic dynamic, Hickerson was arrested for felony domestic violence in May 2019 following an alleged altercation with Panettiere at their home after the pair had been drinking in Hollywood. Reports said at the time that redness and marks were visible on Panettiere’s body. He was charged later that month and ordered to stay 100 yards away from Panettiere and have no contact with her, though the case was dismissed in September 2019. He was arrested again in Wyoming on Valentine’s Day in February 2020 following another alleged domestic dispute, accused of striking the actress “with a closed fist on the right side of her face.” He was later released on $5,000 bond. That July, Panettiere was granted a restraining order against Hickerson and publicly spoke out about the alleged abuse on Instagram. “I am coming forward with the truth about what happened to me with the hope that my story will empower others in abusive relationships to get the help they need and deserve,” she wrote. “I am prepared to do my part to make sure this man never hurts anyone again. I’m grateful for my support system, which helped me find the courage to regain my voice and my life,” the actress added.
In April 2021, Hickerson was sentenced to 45 days in county jail after pleading no contest to two felony counts of injuring a spouse or girlfriend. He also received four years of probation, 52 domestic violence classes, a $500 fee, and a five-year restraining order barring him from going near Panettiere. The pair officially split for good in July 2022. Yet in May 2026, Hickerson shared a horrifying story from their troubled relationship, admitting he was abusive toward her. “There’s a story where I was drunk, right? Hayden was standing across the room and I had a phone in my hand and I said, ‘Hayden I’ll give you 10 seconds to run as fast as you can before I throw it at you,'” he recalled. In her memoir “This Is Me: A Reckoning,” published in May, Panettiere wrote of the first time he hit her: “I hear it before I feel it, the unmistakable sound of an open-hand slap,” She added that “the slaps become hits” and described him screaming at her to run before throwing objects.
Hickerson said ahead of the book’s release that he and Panettiere had “a mutual respect thing” and were “just good buddies,” though he admitted there was one story he asked her not to include. After Panettiere’s death, Hickerson deleted his Instagram account following a wave of comments from fans blaming him for her death, with users writing “He needs to be investigated” and “What did you do to her.” As of Monday, Hickerson had not publicly responded to his girlfriend’s death, though reports said his family “is aware.” Panettiere is survived by her 11-year-old daughter, Kaya, whom she shared with former fiancé Wladimir Klitschko, and her parents.
The Greenville County Coroner’s Office will release a cause of death pending toxicology results.