New Report Details Hayden Panettiere’s Physical Pain and Safety Precautions in Her Final Months

A new report from The New York Times has revealed additional details about the weeks leading up to Hayden Panettiere’s death on August 16, including previously unreported physical symptoms and steps she took to keep her ex-boyfriend, Brian Hickerson, away from a public event just months earlier.

According to the report, Panettiere had been experiencing severe pain described as a “pins and needles” sensation in her legs, a condition that reportedly affected her ability to walk normally in the months before she died. Her mother, Lesley Vogel, told The Times she spent time with her daughter in Los Angeles roughly a year ago “when she was in pain. She was afraid. She couldn’t physically function properly,” and said she took Panettiere to doctors and an acupuncturist in an effort to treat the symptoms.

The report also details a Manhattan book signing in May, part of the tour for Panettiere’s memoir, ‘This Is Me: A Reckoning,’ where she reportedly arrived with private security and gave staff at Barnes & Noble clear instructions to keep Hickerson away from the event. Hickerson was present at the Greenville, South Carolina apartment where Panettiere was later found unresponsive on August 16; police have said they suspect no foul play, and an initial autopsy reportedly found no signs of trauma.

Panettiere’s memoir, released in May, documented a relationship with Hickerson that the book says turned violent, resulting in three arrests and jail time over the course of their on-and-off relationship. Hickerson was previously sentenced to 45 days in jail in 2021 on two felony counts of injuring a spouse or girlfriend, along with four years of probation and mandated domestic violence classes, following a protective order issued after a 2018 arrest.

In the book, Panettiere also wrote about eventually forgiving Hickerson as part of her own recovery process, describing him as someone who “had a big heart full of pain, just like mine,” while acknowledging the harm caused during their relationship. The memoir also addressed her long-documented struggles with addiction and postpartum depression, which she has spoken about publicly in interviews over the years.

The new details have also fed into a broader conversation among some public figures about the toll early fame can take. Actress Melissa Gilbert referenced Panettiere’s death in a recent essay, noting that three former child actors from a similar generation, Michelle Trachtenberg, Daveigh Chase, and Panettiere, have died within the span of about a year, and calling for greater protections for young performers in the industry.

As more reporting continues to emerge about the circumstances surrounding Panettiere’s final months, her family and representatives have not issued additional public statements beyond what has already been shared with outlets covering the story.

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