Brian Hickerson Gives His First Words to the Press After Hayden Panettiere’s Death

17 Sep 2026, 13:31 · Thought Catalog

Lies Angeles / MEGA

Updated 6 seconds ago, September 17, 2026

Brian Hickerson has spoken publicly for the first time since the death of Hayden Panettiere.

Brian Hickerson walks arm-in-arm with Hayden Panettiere through a parking lot at night, as she goes barefoot in a floral dress while holding her phone. Photo by Lies Angeles / MEGA.

“How do you think I’m doing?” Hickerson replied when a photographer asked how he was coping at a gas station on Wednesday, September 16. After the photographer offered condolences, he added, “Appreciate it. That’s all I got for you, man,” according to footage obtained by E! News.

Hayden Panettiere and Brian Hickerson together in Los Angeles in January 2019. Photo by gotpap/Bauer-Griffin / GC Images via Getty Images.

Hickerson, 37, was with Hayden Panettiere and his brother Zach Hickerson when she died in South Carolina on August 16 at age 36. Brian later gave first responders a bag containing her prescription medications when they arrived at the apartment where the group had been staying.

Hayden Panettiere at the HAVEN360 cocktail reception celebrating the documentary ‘The Cove’ at Andaz Hotel in West Hollywood on March 3, 2010. Photo by Angela Weiss / Getty Images.

Both brothers were detained after police responded to a reported assault at Wild Wing Cafe in Greenville on Saturday, September 12. Zach was arrested for disorderly conduct, while Brian was released at the scene without charges.

Her cause and manner of death remain undetermined while toxicology results are pending. The Greenville County Coroner’s Office said an autopsy found no signs of trauma that contributed to her death and that the investigation remains active.

Hayden Panettiere at Radio City Music Hall for the New York premiere of “102 Dalmatians” on November 13, 2000. Photo by George DeSota / Newsmakers via Getty Images.

Recent reports have claimed investigators believe Panettiere took a black-market oxycodone pill laced with fentanyl. Her spokesperson called accounts attributed to unnamed sources “unverified hearsay” and said the public must allow the investigation to conclude, adding: “The answers we are all seeking will come.”

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