Hayden Panettiere’s family has finalized plans for a celebration of life this weekend, with two of the people closest to her in her final months notably absent from the guest list.
The memorial for the “Nashville” alum, 35, will take place Saturday at a Malibu, California, church, a coastal setting chosen because of her love of the ocean and whales, according to a source. An estimated 150 family members, close friends and former colleagues are expected to attend the gathering, which comes one month after her death.
Brian Hickerson, Panettiere’s on-again, off-again boyfriend, and his brother Zach Hickerson did not receive invitations, per reports. Both men had attempted to resuscitate the actress when she died of an apparent overdose in South Carolina on Aug. 16. Brian Hickerson was approached recently at a gas station and asked how he was coping with the loss. “How do you think I’m doing?” he shot back.
Panettiere’s mother, Lesley Vogel, 70, has also been left off the guest list. Vogel sparked controversy in August with a statement about her daughter having been “on the wrong path.” She later defended herself during a “Good Morning America” interview, telling critics, “You don’t have a right to tell me how I mourn the loss of my second child. That’s my domain.”
Skip Panettiere, the actress’s father, is expected to attend the service. The fractured family dynamics reflect complicated relationships that persisted through the final chapter of Panettiere’s life.
Panettiere and Brian Hickerson’s tumultuous relationship dated back to 2018. In 2021, he pleaded no contest to two felony counts of injuring a spouse or girlfriend. Panettiere addressed the abuse in her memoir “This Is Me: A Reckoning,” which was published in May. Despite this history, the pair had reconnected prior to her death, with a source telling reporters she kept “many of her friends” in the dark about the reconciliation.
The circumstances surrounding Panettiere’s death remain under active investigation. Officials noted “no signs of foul play” at the scene. The Drug Enforcement Administration joined the probe last month, with investigators reportedly focusing on a Los Angeles drug dealer based on what were described as a “slew of” incriminating text messages.
While reports said Monday that Panettiere died from a single fentanyl-laced oxycodone pill, the coroner has not confirmed this. “We have not released anything at this time. We will send out an email release when ready,” the coroner said in a statement. Panettiere’s spokesperson similarly urged patience, emphasizing the need to wait for “the completion of toxicology results” and criticizing “recent reports attributed to unnamed sources” that have contributed to “conflicting information that continues to circulate.”
