Hayden Panettiere’s estranged mother, Lesley Vogel, has spoken out following the actress’ death at 36.
In a phone interview with NBC News on Tuesday, Lesley reflected on the death of Hayden’s younger brother Jansen. Jansen died unexpectedly at the age of 28 in 2023 due to an undiagnosed enlarged heart (cardiomegaly).
“I just feel that she’s with her brother and they’re at peace,” Lesley told NBC News.
Lesley also took the opportunity to hit out at Hayden’s on-again, off-again boyfriend Brian Hickerson. He was arrested in 2019 after an alleged confrontation with her. However, the case was later dismissed.
In 2021, Brian pleaded no contest to two felony counts of injuring a partner in connection with a 2020 arrest. He received a 45-day jail sentence, four years of formal probation and a five-year protective order.
Lesley Vogel speaks out after Hayden Panettiere’s death
Speaking to NBC, Lesley said of Brian: “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.”
She went on to pay tribute to her daughter. Lesley described Hayden as “an amazingly talented person in so many departments”.
She also spoke about the challenges facing young performers in the entertainment industry.
She told NBC News that growing up in the business can prove “very challenging”. Lesley added: “I think Hayden sadly lost her way, and I wish it were different.”
Her comments follow a difficult period in their relationship. Hayden discussed her childhood and estrangement from her mother in her May 2026 memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning.
Lesley managed Hayden’s career after she began working as a baby. During a May appearance on the On Purpose with Jay Shetty podcast, Hayden said the boundaries between their personal and professional relationships had become blurred.
“Everything was business,” Hayden said. “I became the confidant and the assistant and the therapist and the shoulder to cry on and everything but her child.”
Hayden had hoped to repair relationship with her mum
Hayden also recalled trying to end their working relationship while filming Heroes at 19. She said she wanted them to focus on rebuilding their bond as mother and daughter.
According to Hayden’s account, she told Lesley: “I don’t want us to work together anymore. I just want you to be my mom.”
Hayden claimed her mother replied: “You owe me.” She later described the exchange as “disappointing” and said their lack of a relationship had proved difficult to accept.
Lesley challenged her daughter’s account around the release of the memoir. In a statement to Page Six, she confirmed their estrangement and said she had chosen to cut contact after “20 years of trauma”.
However, Hayden told Us Weekly in May that she remained open to reconciliation. She said: “Unfortunately, we don’t have a relationship right now. But that doesn’t mean that I don’t leave the door open for the opportunity to present itself one day.”
Hayden Panettiere’s cause of death remains unconfirmed
Hayden’s father, Alan “Skip” Panettiere, announced her death in a statement shared through the actress’ representative on Sunday.
“It is with profound sadness that we share the tragic passing of our beloved Hayden,” he said.
He described his daughter as “an incredible light and a force of nature” who brought love and joy to those around her and her millions of viewers.
Officials have not yet released Hayden Panettiere’s official cause of death.
Read more: Hayden Panettiere’s shocking Hollywood betrayal resurfaces after her death at 36
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