Hayden Panettiere’s estranged mom blasts tragic actress’ boyfriend in first words since her death

Hayden Panettiere’s estranged mom blasted her tragic daughter’s on-again, off-again boyfriend in her first public statement since the actress’ death.

Lesley Vogel said their family had been trying to distance themselves from Brian Hickerson, who was with Panettiere in South Carolina when she died on Sunday.

“This person in her life that we have been trying to get rid of for quite some time was with her at her death and that was Brian Hickerson,” Vogel told NBC on Tuesday.

She said her daughter fell victim to the pitfalls of Hollywood.

“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,” Vogel said.

A source told Page Six that Panettiere hadn’t told her inner circle she was spending time with Hickerson again.

“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.”

“So maybe that was why she hadn’t mentioned it to us.”

“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,” the insider said.

The pair — who were first romantically linked in 2018 — went on to have a tumultuous, on-and-off relationship that included multiple alleged incidents of domestic violence.

Hickerson was arrested for felony domestic violence in May 2019 following an altercation with Panettiere at their home after they had been drinking in Hollywood.

Panettiere, 36, suffered a cardiac arrest after a suspected overdose at a luxury apartment complex in Greenville.

She died just five days before her 37th birthday.

Panettiere struggled with “severe health issues” in recent months, sources told Page Six.

Hickerson told police that the actress was taking a “bag of medication” at the time of her death.

The exact names of the medications were redacted in the police report.

Hayden Panettiere’s estranged mom blasts tragic actress’ boyfriend in first words since her death

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