Hayden Panettiere was remembered by friends and former colleagues during a memorial service in Malibu, California, on Saturday.
Paris Hilton, along with Panettiere’s former Nashville co-stars Connie Britton and Charles Esten, joined the celebration of life at a local church, according to TMZ.
Evan Ross, Jonathan Jackson and Lennon Stella were also among the well-known guests in attendance.
A source described the gathering as “emotional and beautiful,” telling the publication that the service began outside with the release of doves.
Roughly 150 mourners then went inside, where a band had been arranged for the occasion. Britton and Esten delivered heartfelt speeches in honor of their late friend.
Esten also performed a song from Nashville, the series in which he and Panettiere worked together.
Hayden Panettiere was remembered by celebrity friends at a Saturday memorial service, according to TMZ
Connie Britton, Panettiere’s Nashville co-star, was among those who spoke at the service; the pair are pictured together in 2012
Paris Hilton and Evan Ross were among the stars who attended the celebration of life in Malibu, California
Panettiere’s father, Skip, attended the service, while her mother, Leslie Vogel, was reportedly absent. The actress had been estranged from Vogel.
A source close to Vogel disputed the suggestion that she had been invited, telling TMZ that she was unable to attend because of a family emergency.
Brian Hickerson, Panettiere’s on-again, off-again boyfriend, and his brother Zach have responded to reports that they were not included in the actress’s memorial service.
According to TMZ, the brothers understand why they were left off the guest list for Panettiere’s celebration of life.
Panettiere died a month ago at 36. She suffered cardiac arrest following a suspected overdose in South Carolina, where she had been staying at an Airbnb with Brian, 37, and Zach, 38.
In the aftermath of the Nashville star’s death, Brian has reportedly struggled emotionally and is said to have lost 40 pounds.
Detectives told the Daily Mail last month that they had responded to a 911 call from someone described as an acquaintance of Panettiere. The caller reportedly said she was unresponsive.
TMZ previously reported that Narcan, a nasal spray used to reverse the effects of an opioid overdose, was discovered on a mattress inside the loft apartment where Panettiere had been staying.
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Charles Esten performed a song from Nashville during the memorial gathering on Saturday
Brian Hickerson and his brother Zach were reportedly not invited to Panettiere’s memorial; they are pictured in 2018
The Greenville County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that Panettiere’s autopsy had been completed and that no signs of trauma were found on her body.
She had arrived in Greenville with Brian one day earlier.
According to the Greenville Police Department’s incident report, Zach told police that Brian was sleeping in a separate room of the Airbnb when he arrived and found the actress unresponsive in a chair.
Zach stated that Brian administered Narcan – a medication that reverses opioid overdoses – and that they performed CPR while communicating with 911 dispatchers.
Earlier this month, Brian and Zach were involved in a bar brawl, leading to the former’s detainment and the latter’s arrest for disorderly conduct.
The brothers had been drinking at Wild Wing Cafe, an eyewitness told TMZ, when other patrons allegedly heckled them over Panettiere’s August 16 death.
Panettiere had a tumultuous on-and-off relationship with Brian beginning in 2018.
Throughout their relationship, he was arrested and charged in connection with domestic abuse multiple times.
In the weeks since Panettiere’s shock death, Zach (pictured) and Brian have run into trouble with the law
In 2021, he pleaded no contest to two felony counts of injuring a spouse or girlfriend, resulting in jail time, probation, domestic violence classes, $500 in restitution, and a five-year protective order, per People.
Zach previously told TMZ in the wake of the actress’s death: ‘There are a lot of assumptions, speculations and accusations currently swirling.
‘The truth will come out as the authorities complete and release additional details from the investigation. And that is important because the people who loved and adored Hayden deserve the truth.’
He described Panettiere as ‘precious’ and said her friends and family should be allowed to mourn her peacefully.
‘At this time, I want to clarify my involvement in effort to keep the focus on the fact that we lost one of the most precious individuals on this earth and to allow those that cared about her to mourn without additional noise, chaos, and misinformation being created and propagated by the media as well as the public,’ he said.