Hayden Panettiere's Boyfriend Brian Hickerson Issues Blunt Six-Word Statement About Actress' Tragic Death
Brian Hickerson has broken his silence on the death of Hayden Panettiere courtesy of a six-work remark at a gas station.
Sept. 17 2026, Published 11:43 a.m. ET
Hayden Panettiere's boyfriend Brian Hickerson has broken his silence on the Heroes star's tragic death.
RadarOnline.com can reveal Hickerson, 37, gave a blunt reply to a question from a photographer regarding his well-being after Panettiere's passing last month.
'How Do You Think I’m Doing?'
Hickerson made the curt response to a photographer.
Hickerson is heard saying: "How do you think I’m doing?" but after the snapper extended his condolences, he replied, "Appreciate it. That's all I got for you, man."
He was sporting a visible injury to his left eye, presumably from his bar brawl last weekend, when he was approached at the gas station in Greenville, South Carolina.
RadarOnline.com recently revealed the actor had been "drinking for hours" with brother Zach at a back table inside the Wild Wing Cafe in Greenville before eventually making his way toward the bar on September 12.
Bar Brawl Controversy
Hickerson was sporting bruised eye from recent bar brawl.
The actor was reportedly speaking with other patrons when tensions escalated.
At one point, Brian allegedly grabbed a bar stool and threw it backward.
As seen in video obtained by TMZ, a man wearing a red baseball cap lifted Brian off the ground and carried him out of the bar, as a bartender could be heard shouting, "Let him go!"
The confrontation continued outside, where the brothers were reportedly fighting with other people before police arrived.
Brian was placed in handcuffs and sat on the curb as police dealt with the situation.
A source told TMZ that Brian began yelling at officers and appeared to reference Hayden's death.
"GPD leaked it when my girlfriend died," he shouted.
Fatal Pill 'Laced With Fentanyl'
Panettiere was found dead on August 16.
The comment came less than a month after Panettiere, 36, was found unresponsive at a residence in Greenville on August 16.
RadarOnline.com also revealed this week the actress reportedly died after taking a pill believed to have been oxycodone laced with fentanyl.
The Nashville star was reportedly given the drug by her "long-term L.A. drug dealer," who is now at the center of a police investigation.
The star met her dealer in L.A. before flying to South Carolina, where she died of a suspected overdose on August 16, just before her 37th birthday.
Sources told TMZ the mother of one appears to have taken one pill the day she died, but it was fatal because it was laced with fentanyl, which is 50 times stronger than heroin.
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The actress had a 'bag of medication' with her when she died.
Authorities have yet to reveal her exact cause of death and have warned the toxicology results could take up to 12 weeks.
Hickerson — who was with her on the night she died inside a South Carolina apartment alongside Zach — has already met with DEA officials as part of the probe into her shock death.
He previously told officials Panettiere had a "bag of medication" with her when she died.
The drugs Panettiere was reportedly taking were redacted in the Greenville City Police report, although there were nine different types.
