Attorney of Hayden Panettiere’s ex Brian Hickerson issues statement following death investigation

Brian Hickerson’s lawyer has released a statement following Hayden Panettiere’s death, after it came to light that he was at his on-and-off ex-girlfriend’s apartment when she died.

The American actress tragically died aged 36 on Sunday (16 August), after police in Greenville, South Carolina, responded to a call reporting that the actress was ‘unresponsive’ and in ‘cardiac arrest.’

However, a cause and manner of death have not yet been confirmed by the authorities, and an investigation is currently ongoing into Panettiere’s passing.

Brian's attorney, Sloan Ellis, told TMZ in a statement on 20 August: "Hayden's death remains under investigation, and it is important to allow that investigation to proceed.

"As has been publicly reported, police confirmed there were no signs of foul play. Out of respect for Hayden's loved ones and the ongoing investigation, there will be no further comment at this time."

The Nashville star's death was announced on Sunday by her father and an investigation is ongoing (Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images)

According to a Greenville Police Department report, authorities said Brian and his brother Zach Hickerson were on scene as authorities responded to Panettiere experiencing cardiac arrest.

Zach was ‘very emotional’ while emergency workers were ‘working on Hayden,’ while Brian did not become visibly emotional until the star was pronounced dead, the report says.

The police report also outlined that Brian showed the police a ‘bag of medication’ that Panettiere was taking when she died.

While Panettiere’s cause of death is still pending further investigation, in a statement, officials said that an autopsy was completed on Monday (17 August) and that ‘no signs of trauma were discovered that would have contributed to the death’.

Panettiere and Hickerson were first romantically linked in 2018 following the Heroes star’s relationship with Ukrainian boxer Wladimir Klitschko, with whom she welcomed a daughter, Kaya, in 2014.

Panettiere and Hickerson were in an on-and-off relationship for years (gotpap/Bauer-Griffin/Getty Images)

In April 2021, Hickerson pleaded no contest to domestic violence charges, and in 2022, the pair reportedly split.

But the actress later told the outlet that they reconnected and were friends.

She told PEOPLE in July 2022: “It was a very dark and complicated time in my life. But a lot of women go through what I went through, and I want people to know it’s okay to ask for help.”

She added: “I am trying to live in a place of understanding. I think [Brian] has done his time and was willing to get help. I think about the things I have done in my life that people forgave me for.

“Making amends is a really important thing that you learn in treatment. And it gives you a lot of inner peace.”

Panettiere’s passing was announced by her father Skip, who told ABC News in a statement: “It is with profound sadness that we share the tragic passing of our beloved Hayden.

“She was an incredible light and a force of nature who brought immeasurable love and joy to all who knew her - and to the millions who watched her onscreen."