Hayden Panettiere Faced Severe Pain and Safety Fears Before Her Death

Actress Hayden Panettiere was dealing with severe physical pain and concerns about her safety in the months before her death, according to a new report from The New York Times.

During a May book tour in Manhattan, Panettiere reportedly had private security and gave instructions that her former boyfriend, Brian Hickerson, not be allowed near her. Panettiere wrote in her memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning, about Hickerson’s history of violence toward her. He was arrested three times in connection with incidents involving her and served time in jail.

Hickerson was present when Panettiere, 36, was found dead Aug. 16 in an apartment in Greenville, S.C. Police initially said they did not suspect foul play, and an initial autopsy found no signs of trauma.

Panettiere’s mother, Lesley Vogel, told the Times that her daughter had experienced serious pain about a year earlier. Vogel said Panettiere described a “pins and needles” sensation in her legs that affected her ability to walk and function normally. She took her daughter to doctors and an acupuncturist in an effort to find relief.

Panettiere had also spoken publicly about depression and addiction. She said she was prescribed “happy pills” at 15 and later struggled with alcohol and opioids while working as a child and young adult actress.

The circumstances surrounding her death remain under investigation. Actress Melissa Gilbert has also called for stronger protections for former child actors, citing Panettiere and the recent deaths of Michelle Trachtenberg and Daveigh Chase.