What Has Hayden Panettiere’s Family Said About Her Death?
Following Panettiere’s death, her father, Skip Panettiere, told ABC News that she was “an incredible light and a force of nature who brought immeasurable love and joy to all who knew her—and to the millions who watched her onscreen.”
Two days later, her mother, Lesley Vogel, spoke publicly about her daughter’s death.
“This person in her life that we have been trying to get rid of for quite some time was with her at her death,” Vogel told NBC News on Aug. 18, referring to Brian Hickerson.
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Panettiere and her mother had previously discussed their estrangement in public. Vogel also remembered her daughter—whose brother, Jansen, died in 2023 at age 28—as “an amazingly talented person in so many departments.”
“I think young people who grow up in the entertainment industry—it is a struggle and it’s a very challenging industry,” Vogel said. “And it’s not unusual for them to sadly find the wrong path.”
Panettiere’s ex-partner, Wladimir Klitschko, also spoke about the “profound shock and grief” he and their daughter, Kaya, experienced after her death. The Ukrainian boxer additionally vowed to preserve the Nashville alum’s legacy through Kaya’s memories.