Hayden Panettiere's upcoming memorial service excludes ex-boyfriend Brian Hickerson
What's the story
A celebration of life for late actor Hayden Panettiere will be held at a Malibu, California, church on Saturday, reported TMZ. The event is expected to be attended by around 150 family members, close friends, and former colleagues of the actor. Notably, her ex-boyfriend Brian Hickerson and his brother Zach Hickerson are not invited to the memorial service.
About death
She died on August 16
The choice of a coastal church for the memorial was influenced by Panettiere's fondness for the ocean and whales.
The event comes a month after the actor's untimely death due to an apparent overdose in South Carolina on August 16.
Despite attempts by Hickerson and Zach to save her life, she passed away at 36.
Family dynamics
Panettiere's relationship with Hickerson
Panettiere had a rocky on-and-off relationship with Hickerson since 2018.
In 2021, he pleaded no contest to two felony counts of injuring a spouse or girlfriend.
The actor detailed the abuse in her memoir This Is Me: A Reckoning, published in May 2026.
Interestingly, Panettiere's mother, Lesley Vogel, is also not invited to the memorial service while her father, Skip Panettiere, is expected to attend.
Investigation updates
Investigation into her death is ongoing
The investigation into Panettiere's death, which showed no signs of foul play, is still underway.
The Drug Enforcement Administration joined the probe last month as officials reportedly focus on her Los Angeles drug dealer.
Although the exact cause of her death remains unknown, TMZ reported that she died from a single fentanyl-laced oxycodone pill.
Official statements
Panettiere's representative criticizes 'conflicting information'
The coroner's office has yet to release any information about Panettiere's cause of death.
A representative for the actor also stressed the need to wait for "the completion of toxicology results," criticizing "recent reports attributed to unnamed sources [that]...have attributed to conflicting information that continues to circulate."