Brian Hickerson Makes First Outing Since Hayden Panettiere's Death

Hayden Panettiere's on-again, off-again boyfriend Brian Hickerson was out in Greenville, S.C., three days after the Nashville star's death.ByAug 19, 2026 9:16 PM| Updated 58 minutes agoTagsHayden Panettiere Identified as Brian Hickerson's Girlfriend in Death ReportBrian Hickerson is continuing on in the wake of Hayden Panettiere's death. Three days after the Nashville star died in Greenville, S.C., at age 36, her on-again, off-again boyfriend stepped out in the same city on Aug. 19. Keeping a low profile, Brian wore a beige zip-up hoodie, a white T-shirt, matching baseball cap and sunglasses as he made his way to the passenger seat of a SUV. In a Greenville Police Department report obtained by E! News, authorities said Brian and his brother Zach Hickerson called 911 to an apartment complex located in the Judson neighborhood shortly after 1:00 p.m. Upon arrival, officers found first responders performing CPR on Panettiere, who they said "did not seem to have any obvious physical reasons to be unresponsive." While Zach was "very emotional" during attempts to revive the Heroes alum, in the report police said Brian "did not become emotional" until medical workers declared her dead just after 2:30 p.m.Brian—who police said was identified as Panettiere's boyfriend by his brother—then provided investigators a "bag of medication" the actress was taking at the time of her death, per the report. An autopsy was later performed, though officials have not yet determined a cause of death.Filmsbyjosh / BACKGRIDE! News has previously made attempts to reach Brian for comment but has not heard back. Two months before her passing, Panettiere told E! News she was single and focused on "checking in with myself, being self-aware, being surrounded by healthy people who bring out the best in me." "I've been through a bit of trauma in that area," she said of her past dating life. "So, I'm focusing on me." gotpap/Bauer-Griffin/GC ImagesHowever, Panettiere—mom to to 11-year-old daughter Kaya with ex Wladimir Klitschko—noted at the time that she would be open to the "right person" entering her life. “The door is not closed,” the Ice Princess actress added. “I love to be in love.” For a look back at Panettiere's life in photos, read on.Photo by Ann Limongello/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images1994Photo by Margaret Norton/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images1996Photo by Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images1998Photo by Jean-Paul Aussenard/WireImage2001Photo by Evan Agostini/Getty Images2003Photo by Evan Agostini/Getty Images2004Photo by M. Caulfield/WireImage for ABC Cable Networks Group2004Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images2005Photo by Jean-Paul Aussenard/WireImage2006Photo by Sylvain Gaboury/FilmMagic2006Photo by Valerie Macon/Getty Images2008Photo by Taylor Hill/FilmMagic)2010Jason Merritt/Getty Images2012Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images2013Photo by Kevork Djansezian/NBC/NBCUniversal via Getty Images2014Eugene Gologursky/Getty Images for Time Warner Cable2014Lars Baron/Bongarts/Getty Images2015Rick Diamond/Getty Images2016Roy Rochlin/FilmMagic2017Hayden Panettiere/Twitter 2018Amanda Edwards/Getty Images2019 Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images2022Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images2023Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty Images2024Jeff Neira/Disney via Getty Images2026For the latest breaking news updates, click here to download the E! News App