Hayden Panettiere's mother reveals why she was not in contact with daughter for a year before her death

Lesley Vogel and Hayden Panettiere. Pic via X

Hayden Panettiere's death on August 16, 2025 has left everyone shocked. The actor was at an Airbnb in Greenville when she allegedly went into cardiac arrest following a possible overdose, according to TMX. Her initial autopsy found no signs of trauma or foul play. While the DEA continue to investigate her death, her mother has now broken her silence on losing her 36-year-old daughter and their estranged relationship.

Hayden Panettiere's mother on why she distanced herself

Speaking for the first time after her daughter's death, Hayden Panettiere's mother, Lesley Vogel told Good Morning America that she severed ties with her daughter after the actor called to announce her return to on-and-off boyfriend Brian Hickerson. Notably, the news comes after Vogel spent roughly six weeks visiting Los Angeles to help Hayden with her health struggles.

Vogel shared, "When I got the phone call from her saying, 'I'm going to be with the person I love,' and I just lost it. I could not believe that she had gone that far back. That he had been successful in reeling her back in with all of the things he had done to her."

Vogel adds that she distanced herself for the sake of her own well-being, saying, "I needed it. I needed to have that pocket of time, of course, I thought it was going to be a pocket of time. I did not by any stretch of the imagination think that this was gonna happen to Hayden. I don't know why. I just didn't."

Meanwhile, in a separate interview with the New York Times, Vogel has shared that her daughter was experiencing "pain" in her lower extremities, which made walking difficult and left her unable to "physically function properly." Vogel also blamed a custody battle for Hayden's death. She informed GMA that ceding custody of Panettiere's then-four-year-old daughter Kaya to ex Wladimir Klitschko was a "catalyst." "That was probably the catalyst... In my opinion, that was the catalyst that she just couldn't keep those demons away. I think she struggled and Brian came into her life; she was vulnerable," she shared.

Hayden Panettiere's mother slams trolls

Vogel has also now recalled her reaction to the news of her daughter's passing, saying, "I was numb. I was just numb. I still am not grasping this is real. It just, it doesn't feel real. My mind tells me it's not at times. You know, it's going to be a process."

The grieving mother also slammed trolls who judged her for mourning her daughter's death. Referring to the trolls as "haters," Vogel said they "don't have a right to tell me how to mourn the loss of my second child, that's my domain."