Hayden Panettiere Flew from Los Angeles to South Carolina 1 Day Before Her Sudden Death
Hayden Panettiere, best known for her roles in Heroes and Nashville, has died. She was just 36. Her sudden death was confirmed by her representative, as well as her father, who issued a statement. Her death sent shockwaves across Hollywood, with fans and fellow actors paying tribute to the former child star who parlayed her early success into an adult acting career amid a turbulent personal life. While the exact cause of death has not been released, several outlets have reported that the actor traveled just one day before she died.
Where did Hayden Panettiere die?
Hayden Panettiere’s death was reported on August 17, one day after she was found unresponsive inside a South Carolina home. Panettiere was declared dead inside the property after life-saving measures failed. According to TMZ, emergency medical personnel responded to a call to a Greenville, South Carolina home around 2 pm on August 16 for an unresponsive female. Police in Greenville, South Carolina, have said the preliminary investigation “has not indicated any signs of foul play or suspicious circumstances.” No cause of death has been released. A source close to Panettiere told TMZ she had been complaining about back pain over the past year.
According to TMZ, Panettiere had traveled from Los Angeles to the South on Saturday, just one day before her death. It appears she arrived at the South Carolina property late on Saturday, just hours before she was found unresponsive. Nothing appears to have been amiss during her flight from Los Angeles to the East Coast state. Panettiere, who was born in New York, would have celebrated her 37th birthday this week.
Who she traveled with
It is unclear who called EMS to Panettiere’s location in Greenville, South Carolina. Still, TMZ has reported that she made the trip from California with her on-again, off-again boyfriend, Brian Hickerson. Hickerson is originally from South Carolina. The family is reportedly aware of Panettiere’s death.
Hickerson’s name is well known to anyone who followed Panettiere’s life over the past several years. The pair began dating in 2018, and their relationship became the subject of repeated criminal complaints. In April 2021, Hickerson pleaded no contest to two felony counts of injuring a spouse or girlfriend stemming from a July 2020 arrest in Los Angeles. Six additional counts, including battery and assault with a deadly weapon, were dismissed under a plea agreement. He was sentenced to 45 days in county jail, four years of formal probation, 52 domestic violence classes, $500 in restitution, and a five-year protective order.
At the time, Panettiere said in a statement, “I am coming forward with the truth about what happened to me with the hope that my story will empower others in abusive relationships to get the help they need and deserve.” It is unclear where their relationship stood at the time of her death. Hickerson has not been named in the death investigation, and it is unclear if he is the person who called 911. Early reports simply indicate that a “friend” sought medical attention for the late actor. Foul play is not suspected.
Hayden Panettiere published a memoir just before her death
Hayden Panettiere published her debut memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning, on May 19, 2026, just three months before her death. It became an instant New York Times bestseller. The book was an unflinching account of her turbulent life in front of cameras.
Nothing was off the table for the memoir. Panettiere wrote about the pressure and exploitation of the entertainment industry, her struggles with opioid and alcohol addiction, postpartum depression, domestic abuse, and the sudden death of her younger brother Jansen in 2023. He died from an undiagnosed heart condition at 28.
The memoir’s release brought renewed public interest in some of the more complicated moments in her life. In the months that followed, she spoke frequently about recovery, motherhood, and advocating for telling her own story.
Her last interview, published by Momé on July 21, focused on her motherhood journey and the decisions she made along the way. In the chat, she described herself not as recovered but as ongoing: “I’m a work in progress — we all are. I take each day as it comes. I’m doing the work, and I’m doing my best.”‘
This is a developing story…
