Hayden Panettiere’s estranged mother, Lesley Vogel, has addressed critics in her first televised interview since the actress’s death on August 16.
While conversing with Good Morning America journalist Rhiannon Ally, the Heroes actress mother said, “I would say to the haters out there, ‘You don’t have a right to tell me how I mourn the loss of my second child. That’s my domain.”
She added that she was still coming to terms with Panettiere’s death, saying, “It will probably hit me later on.”
Vogel tearfully recalled feeling “numb” and unable to “feel anything” when she received the call about her daughter’s death.
“I still am not grasping that this is real. It doesn’t feel real; my mind tells me it’s not at times. You know, it’s going to be a process,” she reiterated before asking for a minute to cry off-camera.
Vogel urged people to remember her daughter as the talented, beautiful and intelligent woman she was.
Lesley Vogel slammed Hayden Panettiere’s boyfriend, Brian Hickerson
During the interview, she also took aim at Panettiere’s on-again, off-again boyfriend, Brian Hickerson.
Panettiere was found dead at a luxury apartment complex in Greenville, SC, on August 16, aged 36, following an apparent overdose. Her father, Skip, later confirmed her death with “profound sadness.”
A police report said Hayden Panettiere was taking a “bag of medication” before her death, though the drugs were redacted.
Brian Hickerson and his brother Zach were also at the scene, with Brian reportedly showing emotion only after she was pronounced dead.
Vogel has continued to criticize Brian Hickerson and suggested he was somehow involved in her daughter’s death.
She also reflected on Hayden’s talent and the challenges young actors can face growing up in the entertainment industry.
On August 20, Brian Hickerson denied involvement in Hayden Panettiere’s death through his lawyer, who said the investigation remains ongoing and police found no signs of foul play.
