Hayden Panettiere Death

Courteney Cox is remembering her late "Scream" costar Hayden Panettiere ... recalling the fun they had together before Hayden's shocking death last month.

Courteney spoke with Entertainment Weekly at the Toronto International Film Festival, where she was promoting her new movie "Evil Genius," and had nothing but love for Hayden.

Courteney called Hayden a "really wonderful actor" and said the last time they worked together, they had a great time ... remembering her as fun, happy and smart.

12:55 PM PST -- TMZ has obtained video of Zach and Brian Hickerson prior to the all-out brawl erupting seemingly showing the brothers beginning to boil over alleged heckling over Hayden Panettiere's death.

Brian Hickerson had a wild night with his brother, Zach, at a South Carolina bar ... and it ended with the brothers in handcuffs and Brian claiming that police leaked details about the death of his actress girlfriend, Hayden Panettiere.

The Greenville PD tells TMZ ... Brian was ultimately released, but Zach was taken into custody for disorderly conduct and brought to jail.

All the drama kicked off Saturday night at Wild Wing Cafe in Greenville when Brian suddenly picked up a stool at the bar and slung it backwards, according to sources with direct knowledge.   

Big update in the Hayden Panettiere death investigation ... her boyfriend is talking to the DEA as it looks into the actress' suspected overdose, and TMZ has learned investigators are making progress. 

Sources with direct knowledge of the investigation tell TMZ ... Brian Hickerson -- who was in the Greenville, SC condo when Hayden died -- has spoken with the federal law enforcement agency.

We're also told local and federal investigators believe someone sold Hayden drugs which might have caused her death, and that's the main focus of the investigation ... finding the dealer.

One source tells TMZ the authorities are "zeroing in on a potential drug dealer."

Hayden Panettiere's boyfriend, Brian Hickerson, seemed barely conscious after cops helped him get up from the floor in a bar ... before placing him in handcuffs during his 2025 arrest.

TMZ obtained video from Brian's shocking arrest in August of last year at Barney's Beanery -- a popular dive bar in West Hollywood -- which shows more of the incident that began after employees tried to boot Brian from the bar.

Our clips pick up after Brian's already under the table ... shoes off -- lying on his back beneath a table set along the wall.

Hayden Panettiere's boyfriend Brian Hickerson was seen barefoot and hunkered down under a restaurant table moments before his 2025 Los Angeles arrest ... and TMZ has obtained a photo from the bizarre scene.

The pic was snapped August 2, 2025 inside Barney's Beanery in West Hollywood ... showing Brian sitting on the floor underneath a table with his shoes off as a Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputy stands nearby.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Brian came into Barney's and appeared to be under the influence of something and acted erratically. Sources say he allegedly broke a drinking glass at the bar. We're told things escalated when Brian allegedly threw one of his shoes at another person who was eating inside the restaurant ... prompting staff to ask him to leave.

There's increasing evidence Hayden Panettiere's boyfriend, Brian Hickerson, was under the influence in the months before her death, and finally someone unifies the U.S. -- Dolly. So we gotta ask ...

Hayden Panettiere's boyfriend was allegedly sliding into another woman's DMs just a few short months before Hayden died.

Here's the deal ... Page Six published a story Thursday reporting on alleged messages Brian sent to an unnamed Greenville, South Carolina woman in March ... roughly 5 months before Hayden's tragic death in Greenville.

This woman allegedly met Brian at the downtown nightclub the Cat's Pajamas on March 28 ... though she admitted to P6 she was "heavily intoxicated" the night she allegedly met Brian and didn't remember much.

On March 29, Brian allegedly DM'd the woman, "Great meeting you last night pretty lady. I owe you a date. I’m heading to [C]ity Tavern for a slushie in a bit you should join."

Hayden Panettiere's boyfriend, Brian Hickerson, was permanently banned from at least three South Carolina bars in the months before her death ... according to sources with direct knowledge.

We're told Brian was barred from Hooters, Twin Peaks, and another Greenville bar within the last two to three months ... and the bans stemmed from concerns over excessive drinking and intoxication on the properties.

Our sources say Brian was often nice, kind, and engaging with staff members when sober ... but we're told he could become erratic and irate once intoxicated.

We're told he also often failed to listen when staff asked him to leave when they believed he was too drunk.

Hayden Panettiere's death gave her former castmates a reason to get together ... inspiring her former "Heroes" co-stars to celebrate her life and lasting impact on Hollywood and beyond.

Jimmy Jean-Louis -- a veteran actor who played a recurring character known as "The Haitian" in 32 episodes of the beloved superhero show -- shared photos from the gathering ... including a big group photo that featured stars like Jack Coleman, Masi Oka and Adrian Pasdar.

Madeline Zima -- who recently spoke with us about Hayden's life and legacy -- attended ... and Zachary Quinto, who played the infamous villain Sylar on the show, and Sendhil Ramamurthy appeared via video call.

Hayden Panettiere's boyfriend, Brian Hickerson, is finally showing his face amid an onslaught of verbal attacks from her mother ... stepping out of his lair to grab a package ... and looking pissed.

Brian emerged from his South Carolina house to grab a plastic bag sitting on his porch ... eyeing the photographers standing outside for a moment before shutting his door.

As you know ... Brian has been the focal point of mass scrutiny since Hayden was pronounced dead, with her mom -- Lesley Vogel -- especially ripping him.

Brian Hickerson's magnetic charm kept Hayden Panettiere coming back to him despite their rocky relationship over the years, according to Brian's half-sister.

Ashley Hickerson told the Daily Mail ... “If I can say one thing about Brian, it’s that he is the most charismatic person and he draws you in.” Ashley also said she understood why Hayden was with Brian, who's fun and can make you laugh no matter what.

Hayden and Brian began dating in 2018 and stayed together on and off until the actresss' suspected overdose death on August 16 in Greenville, South Carolina. Brian's brother, Zach, found Hayden's body and they called 911. Her cause and manner of death are pending the results of toxicology tests.

As you know, Brian had a history of domestic violence against Hayden, who accused him of punching her in 2020, according to court docs obtained by TMZ.

A resurfaced photo of Hayden Panettiere and James Blunt together on a yacht is getting fresh attention ... following the actress's death and renewed interest in a disturbing story she shared about an alleged yacht encounter when she was 18.

The photo -- taken in France in 2009 -- shows Hayden and James together on a boat ... gathered around a table with at least 3 other people.

At the time, Hayden was a few months away from her 20th birthday ... but some folks are convinced it's the smoking gun in her story about being forced into bed with a naked British singer-songwriter. Hayden didn't name the celeb in her memoir, but the internet's convinced it's James, even though there is no evidence establishing that connection.

James Blunt is throwing cold water on claims that he's the naked British singer Hayden Panettiere said she was forced into a bed with on a yacht when she was just 18.

James shared a Substack article on social media Monday that argues he is NOT the unnamed singer-songwriter from Hayden's memoir.

In her 2026 book, Hayden wrote she was 18 when a friend brought her onto a yacht to meet a British singer-songwriter in his 30s ... only for her to walk into a cabin and find the man naked in bed.

Hayden Panettiere was honored on the Grand Ole Opry stage over the weekend by her
"Nashville" costar ... and the emotional moment was a legit tearjerker.

Check out the video, but make sure you have some tissues nearby ... Charles "Chip" Esten sang "Somewhere in the Sunshine" as a picture of him and Hayden remained on the screen.

Chip was among dozens and dozens of celebs who shared their shock and heartbreak over the actress' sudden death in a South Carolina apartment on August 16 ... and in a strange twist, Chip was playing a show at the venue connected to the apartment complex the weekend she died.

Hayden Panettiere's boyfriend, Brian Hickerson, took classes on domestic violence after being accused of punching the actress in 2020 ... TMZ has learned.

We obtained court docs filed in Brian's criminal case out of Wyoming … which came months after Hayden called cops on him in L.A. over alleged abuse. He was taken into custody after officers say they saw marks on Hayden's body.

In court docs filed in August 2020, Brian's legal team made the case for a warrant for his arrest being dropped.

Brian said that he had voluntarily obtained a domestic violence prevention evaluation from the Curran Seeley Foundation and said he was "committed to following any recommendations."

Hayden Panettiere’s mom says Brian Hickerson left her daughter depleted in every way -- financially, emotionally and physically -- as he allegedly became deeply embedded in the actress’ life.

Lesley Vogel -- Hayden's estranged mother -- says she came to L.A. about a year ago to help Hayden through a serious health struggle ... claiming Hayden was suffering from an unexplained pins-and-needles feeling in her lower body that made it difficult for her to walk or function normally, according to the The New York Times.

Hayden wondered whether the pain could have been connected to injuries she suffered while working as a child actor, and according to her mom, they sought help from doctors and tried massage and acupuncture in search of relief.