Hayden Panettiere Death

Hayden Panettiere and her drug dealer engaged in numerous text conversations for years -- right up until the week she died -- and the DEA is now laser-focused on the thread of incriminating evidence ... sources tell TMZ.

Sources involved in the investigation with direct knowledge tell us ... Hayden and her dealer were very specific about purchasing black market pills. As one source put it, "There are a slew of messages about drugs." We're told the text messages are now a centerpiece of the investigation.

TMZ broke the story ... the DEA believes Hayden died after taking an oxy pill laced with fentanyl. Our sources say Hayden took various pills with her on the flight from L.A. to South Carolina, the night before she died. Her boyfriend, Brian Hickerson, gave police a bag of Hayden's meds, which could reveal other pills laced with the deadly drug.

The 2026 Emmy Awards honored Hayden Panettiere during the In Memoriam segment of their broadcast Monday.

Her photo flashed across the screen during the montage, which was underscored by Noah Kahan's rendition of Simon & Garfunkel's "Bridge Over Troubled Water."

Hayden tragically passed away last month, when boyfriend Brian Hickerson and his brother Zach found her unresponsive in a South Carolina apartment.

Hayden Panettiere’s boyfriend Brian Hickerson was being heckled for the late actress’ death moments before his bar altercation that led to his brother Zach’s arrest, TMZ has learned.

Sources close to the brothers tell TMZ … Brian, who has lost around 40 pounds while grieving Hayden’s death, was encouraged to leave the house this weekend by his brother.

We’re told Zach wanted Brian to get out because he has been extremely heartbroken since Hayden’s death ... and convinced Brian to go out for a low-key night to watch the game at a local restaurant.

Hayden Panettiere's neighbors were suspicious of three "shady" people who regularly came to the actress' West Hollywood condo for years … and believed they were drug dealers, TMZ has learned.

Sources who live in Hayden's building tell TMZ ... they saw two women and a man coming to her unit "frequently" from 2021 until the week before Hayden's death.

One neighbor said the last time they saw the man -- a week before Hayden's death -- he came with a bag with the name "Brian" on it. We're told the man looked to be in his mid-30s, while the two women appeared to be in their early 20s.

Hayden Panettiere took one fatal pill the day she died, and multiple law enforcement sources believe it was oxycodone laced with fentanyl.

Our sources -- all connected to the case and with direct knowledge -- say Hayden had a "long time drug dealer" in Los Angeles, who was providing her several black-market prescription drugs, including oxycodone.

We're told Hayden took several drugs she purchased from her dealer on the flight from L.A. to South Carolina the day before she died. Authorities believe she took an oxy the morning of her death, and they think that pill was laced with fentanyl.

Dr. Drew says Hayden Panettiere may have had a real stretch of sobriety before relapsing ... and says those relapses can stay hidden from those around them.

The good doc joined "TMZ Live" Monday after we first reported that Hayden is suspected to have died from an oxycodone pill laced with fentanyl.

Drew says Hayden appeared to have gotten sober, but says relationships are one of the things that can knock someone off track even after a year or two of sobriety.

Hayden Panettiere's boyfriend Brian Hickerson was spotted out for the first time since he and his brother Zach got in a heated altercation with some folks at a South Carolina bar.

Video and photos of Brian outside his family home in Greenville show him seemingly grabbing some food from the porch Sunday, just days after he and Zach got into a wild fight at the Wild Wings Cafe.

As we previously reported, Brian was detained Saturday night after he tossed a chair inside the watering hole ... and video showed the moment chaos erupted. Zach was eventually arrested for disorderly conduct.

Brian and Zach Hickerson's brush with the law over the weekend was an unpleasant experience ... and now we're seeing just how unpleasant it truly was ... because we've obtained a new video of the brothers being detained by police in South Carolina.

In the 88-second clip, Brian and Zach are in handcuffs surrounded by police outside the Wild Wing Cafe in Greenville. Police say they responded to the bar Saturday night after the Hickerson brothers got into an altercation with other patrons. 

As you can see in the video, Zach is complaining that cops failed to arrest people who allegedly assaulted Brian. Zach also asks officers to take him to jail and then calls out to Brian that they're in this together.

Zach Hickerson is speaking out for the first time since his arrest following that wild South Carolina bar fight ... and he says rumors surrounding Hayden Panettiere's death are fueling attacks on him and his brother.

Zach was spotted after being released from jail in Greenville, where he made it clear he's frustrated by what he says is misinformation spreading online.

When asked what happened during the bar brawl, Zach wasn't interested in getting into the details ... though he did, however, unload about the reaction he and his brother Brian Hickerson have been getting.

Brian Hickerson and his brother Zach may have been getting heckled about Hayden Panettiere before their wild bar brawl erupted ... and video obtained by TMZ shows just how chaotic things got.

An eyewitness tells TMZ ... Brian and Zach were drinking and hanging out in the back of the Greenville, South Carolina restaurant Saturday night when another table recognized Brian and allegedly started bad-mouthing the brothers over Hayden's death.

We're told the table had about five middle-aged people ... and a couple women from the group repeatedly walked over to Brian and Zach's table.

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 ...