Hayden Panettiere Death

Ruby Rose got choked up and was nearly brought to tears while talking about Hayden Panettiere, calling the late actress her "best friend," with whom she spoke on a daily basis.

Rose was interviewed by Entertainment Tonight reporter Denny Directo at Thursday's press day event for season 5 of "Special Forces: World's Toughest Test."

When Directo asked how Hayden should be remembered, Rose suddenly became very emotional, saying the two were best buddies who spoke every day for 5 years.

Brian Hickerson and his brother Zach understand why they were not invited to Hayden Panettiere's celebration of life ... and they're not pushing back on the organizers' decision.

Sources close to the brothers tell TMZ ... it's true neither was invited to Saturday's memorial in Malibu ... but we're told they know it's a sensitive time and understand why they were excluded.

We're told Brian and Zach still hope the service is a beautiful celebration of Hayden, her life and her legacy.

9/20/2026 7:55 AM PT -- A source close to Lesley Vogel denies she was not invited to her daughter Hayden Panettiere's memorial, but admits she did not attend due to a family emergency.

Hayden Panettiere's mom, Lesley Vogel, and her boyfriend, Brian Hickerson, will NOT attend the late actress' memorial this weekend ... TMZ has learned.

Family sources tell TMZ ... Brian and his brother, Zach Hickerson, were not invited to the celebration of life ... ditto for Lesley.

As TMZ first reported ... Hayden's family, including her dad, Skip Panettiere, close friends and Hollywood power players will gather Saturday for a celebration of life at a church in Malibu.

Sources with direct knowledge told us about 150 people are expected to attend, and guests have been informed it's a memorial for Hayden.

Hayden Panettiere will be remembered by family, close friends, and former colleagues at a special celebration of life this weekend ... TMZ has learned.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... the memorial will take place Saturday at a church in Malibu, with about 150 people expected to attend. We're told guests have been informed it's a memorial for Hayden.

We're told her dad, Skip Panettiere, will be on hand, along with a handful of celebrities and Hollywood power players. It's unclear if Hayden's mom, Lesley Vogel, or Hayden's former boyfriend, Brian Hickerson, and his brother, Zach Hickerson, were invited.

Hayden Panettiere may have gotten a visit from a suspected drug dealer just days before leaving for South Carolina ... at least according to her next-door neighbor ... and that's huge, because police think she died from a pill laced with fentanyl.

Hayden's neighbor Mia Terrazas joined "TMZ Live" Wednesday and dropped a bombshell ... saying she suspects a drug dealer showed up at Hayden's West Hollywood apartment on the Tuesday before she died on a Sunday in a Greenville Airbnb.

Mia says the guy couldn't get into the building at first and repeatedly buzzed Hayden's apartment ... before Mia eventually let him in and rode the elevator with him.

Hayden Panettiere's Los Angeles home was searched by federal drug agents shortly after her death ... and we're told investigators were looking for evidence that could link the fatal pill to her drug dealer.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... DEA agents executed a search warrant at Hayden's L.A. residence August 25th -- 9 days after her death -- looking for evidence related to black market controlled substances.

We're told investigators were interested in various drugs Hayden may have been taking ... testing them to see if any were laced with fentanyl.

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.