Lesley Vogel, Hayden Panettiere's mother, is speaking publicly for the first time since her daughter's death at age 36 in Greenville, South Carolina. Vogel hopes her daughter will be remembered as a talented, beautiful, and intelligent woman. Panettiere was found unresponsive and in cardiac arrest on August 16, and despite attempts to resuscitate her by first responders, she was pronounced dead at the scene. The investigation into Panettiere's death is ongoing, with the cause and manner of death still pending further investigation.
Written by the local model on 2026-08-24,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
The articles cover the death of American actress Hayden Panettiere, who died at age 36. Here are some key points from the articles:
- Panettiere's father, Skip, released a statement saying she was an "incredible light and a force of nature" who brought joy to all those who knew her.
- The cause of death has not been announced yet, but an autopsy found no signs of trauma.
- Panettiere had been open about her struggles with mental health in her memoir, which was published earlier this year.
- She had been in a tumultuous relationship with Brian Hickerson, and he was charged with felony abuse in 2020.
- A police report released Tuesday said that Hickerson and his brother were at the South Carolina apartment where Panettiere died.
The articles also mention some of Panettiere's notable roles, including her voice work as Dot in Pixar's "A Bug's Life" and her starring role as Claire Bennett on the TV show "Heroes."
Written for “Hayden Panettiere Dies at 36” on 2026-08-31,
grounded in this article and the 13 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
This article does not take a side on a contested political
question, so it has no leaning score. That is an
answer rather than a gap: a match report or a rescue can be warmly
or critically written without being left or right, and scoring it
anyway is how approval of a subject gets recorded as a political
position.
No political leaning scored for article 1921 · logged 2026-08-28
Hayden Panettiere's mother is opening up about how she hopes her daughter will be remembered following the actress's death at age 36.
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daughter → open → age
"I want Hayden to be remembered for the talented, you know, beautiful, outgoing, intelligent woman she really was," Lesley Vogel told ABC News.
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Vogel → want → News
Panettiere, known for her roles in "Heroes," "Nashville" and "Ice Princess," died on Aug. 16 after she was found unresponsive and in cardiac arrest at a residence in Greenville, South Carolina.
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she → know → Greenville
First responders attempted to resuscitate her, but she was pronounced dead at the scene.
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she → attempt → scene
Her death came months after Panettiere spoke publicly about her relationship with her mother, who served as her acting coach in her childhood.
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who → come → childhood
In a May interview with ABC News, Panettiere said trying to maintain a relationship with her had been "tough."
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trying → say → her
"Over the years, I've tried to leave that door open, hoping that the relationship would evolve into a healthy mother-daughter relationship, and it's obvious that that's just not going to be the case," she explained.
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she → try → relationship
At the time, Vogel responded to her daughter's comments in a statement to Page Six, saying she had chosen to go "the no-contact route" after taking "the advice of professionals."
The Greenville City Police Department is leading the investigation into Panettiere's death, with the Drug Enforcement Administration assisting, according to sources familiar with the matter.
uncertain
Administration → respond → matter
According to a police report obtained by ABC News, Panettiere was with her on-again, off-again boyfriend, Brian Hickerson, and his brother, Zach Hickerson, at the time of her death.
uncertain
Panettiere → accord → death
The report said it was unknown whether Panettiere had been using drugs or alcohol.
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Panettiere → say → drugs
Panettiere's official cause and manner of death "remain pending further investigation and the completion of additional studies," the coroner's office said.
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office → remain → studies
