Hayden Panettiere's mother pays tribute after star's death

Hayden Panettiere's mother has paid tribute to the US actress, calling her an "amazingly talented person" who "sadly lost her way" in a difficult industry.

The Heroes and Nashville star, who died on Sunday aged 36, was found in cardiac arrest by police at an apartment complex in Greenville, South Carolina.

Panettiere's mother, Lesley Vogel, shared her first public comments on her daughter's death on Tuesday, speaking to Sky's US partner NBC News.

Vogel said: "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.

"People, they feel pushed into things, even the managers and agents want to control them and 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."

Vogel recalled her last conversation with the actress was in October 2025.

She said: "Last spoke probably when I was in California and I was trying to work with her to clean up quite a bit. Other than texting, but we had not texted in some time."

It comes as NBC News also reported that Panettiere's ex-boyfriend and his brother were on the scene when she died, citing a police incident report.

Officers responded to a call made by an acquaintance, and the star was found "unresponsive" inside the residence where she had been temporarily staying, according to the coroner's office.

It said first responders tried to save Panettiere but their resuscitation efforts were unsuccessful.

She was pronounced dead at 2.32pm local time (10.32pm UK time).

In the heavily redacted report, the Greenville Police Department said former boyfriend Brian Hickerson and his brother, Zach Hickerson, were at the scene inside the Judson Mill Lofts complex.

Matthew Bryan, the responding officer, said he spoke to Zach Hickerson first, who was "very emotional" while emergency medical services (EMS) were "working on Hayden", according to the report.

Brian Hickerson did not become emotional until EMS declared her dead, the report added.

According to the report, Brian Hickerson showed police a "bag of medication" that Panettiere was taking at the time of her death.

Matthew Bryan also said he was wearing a body-worn camera throughout the emergency response. The video recorded has not yet been publicly released.

A post-mortem examination carried out by the Greenville County coroner's office found that "no signs of trauma were discovered that would have contributed to the death".

The cause and manner of death have not been confirmed.

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Former boxer Wladimir Klitschko, who was in a relationship with Panettiere from 2009 to 2018 and shares a child with the actress, has paid tribute, writing on Instagram: "Our family is going through a time of profound shock and grief.

"The announcement of Hayden's tragic death saddens me deeply. She left this world far too soon.

"Hayden was, although no longer my partner, an important part of my life and the mother of our daughter, Kaya."

In 2018, Panettiere relinquished full custody of Kaya to Klitschko as she struggled with addiction and mental health.

Touching on her struggles, Klitschko said his former partner had also experienced the "darker sides" of Hollywood.

"She built an incredible career through immense talent, while also facing the darker sides of a very demanding industry," he said.

Solange Knowles, Beyonce's sister, also paid tribute to Bring It On: All Or Nothing co-star Panettiere.

She said in a post on Instagram: "Rest in peace Hayden. In peace, because you are so deserving of it.

"We had so many parallels in our lives, and the world watched u so courageously live in your radical truth telling your story. We watched your endless quest for vulnerability, and healing."

Panettiere started acting as a child, appearing in soaps before gaining wider recognition for her role in the 2000 sports drama Remember The Titans alongside Denzel Washington, and as the voice of Dot in Pixar's 1998 film A Bug's Life.

She later found fame playing cheerleader Claire Bennet in the superhero drama Heroes before going on to star as up and-coming country singer Juliette Barnes for six seasons on the hit TV series Nashville.

(c) Sky News 2026: Hayden Panettiere's mother pays tribute after star's death