Lesley Vogel, the mother of the late actress Hayden Panettiere, spoke publicly on Monday for the first time since her daughter died on August 16. In a televised interview with Good Morning America, Vogel pushed back against the public criticism she has faced in the weeks following the tragedy. She explicitly addressed those who questioned her public response to the death. You don’t have a right to tell me how I mourn the loss of my second child. That’s my domain, she said.
The Context of Recent Loss
Panettiere, 36, died in a residence located in Greenville, South Carolina. Authorities treated the incident as an apparent overdose. This loss marks the second time in three years that Vogel has lost a child. In 2023, the family lost Panettiere’s younger brother, Jansen, at age 28. At that time, relatives stated he died from complications related to an enlarged heart. Vogel described feeling numb immediately after learning of Hayden's death. She noted that her mind often refuses to accept the reality of the situation. It is going to be a process.
Family Estrangement and Allegations
According to an official police report obtained by ABC News, Brian Hickerson and his brother Zach were the last people to see the actress alive. Vogel, who had been estranged from her daughter for one year, pointed to Hickerson as the primary cause of the rift. She claimed Hickerson entered Panettiere’s life in 2018. This was a time when the actress had recently signed over custody of her daughter to ex-boyfriend Wladimir Klitschko. Vogel characterized this as a period of profound vulnerability for her daughter. Panettiere had previously accused Hickerson of domestic abuse in public interviews.
She said that her daughter acknowledged the toxicity of the relationship. During a period of attempted reconciliation, Vogel moved to California to live with her daughter for six weeks. But the attempt to repair their relationship faltered when Panettiere opted to return to her partner. Vogel returned to Florida. Following advice from her own therapist, she told her daughter they could not speak if Hickerson remained involved in her life. She maintained that she did not expect the situation to end in tragedy.
Industry Strains and Future Observations
Panettiere was notably candid about her difficult dynamic with her mother. Earlier this year, she told podcast host Jay Shetty that their relationship had become strained by business conflicts, particularly after she fired Vogel as her manager. She expressed disappointment that the relationship had become transactional rather than familial. By 2025, the actress told Us Weekly that they did not have a functional relationship. She noted the door remained open, however.
In her memoir published this May, Panettiere detailed these family struggles in depth. Vogel defended her decision to go no-contact at that time. She cited twenty years of trauma as the reason for the distance. She added that parents of child actors often struggle with the self-destructive paths they sometimes choose. As the investigation into the death remains active, the family plans to hold a celebration of life ceremony. Vogel says she hopes the public remembers her daughter for her talent and intelligence while acknowledging the suffering the actress endured.