Hayden Panettiere’s Estranged Mother Fires Back at Critics: ‘You Don’t Have a Right to Tell Me How I Mourn’

Rachel McRadyMon, August 24, 2026 at 1:53 PM UTC

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Lesley Vogel on ‘Good Morning America’; Hayden Panettiere and Vogel are pictured in January 2009Credit: ABC news; Lester Cohen/WireImage -

Lesley Vogel has addressed criticism of her mourning process following her daughter Hayden Panettiere’s sudden death at age 36

Vogel opened up about her estranged relationship with Panettiere, as well as the challenges the late actress faced after rising to fame, during an interview on Good Morning America

Authorities continue to investigate the former child star’s death with no signs of foul play reported so far

Hayden Panettiere’s estranged mother Lesley Vogel is addressing criticism of her behavior following her daughter’s death.

While speaking in a sit-down interview with Good Morning America, which aired on Monday, Aug. 24, Vogel 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.”

Panettiere died suddenly at the age of 36 on Sunday, Aug. 16. She was found dead at a residence in Greenville, South Carolina. Panettiere’s younger brother, Jansen Panettiere, died unexpectedly at age 28 in 2023 from aortic valve complications and an undiagnosed enlarged heart.

“I was numb. I was just numb,” Vogel said of first hearing the news of Hayden’s death. “I just couldn’t feel anything. I still am not grasping this is real. It doesn’t feel real. My mind tells me it’s not all the time. It’s gonna be a process.”

Hayden Panettiere, Lesley Vogel and Jansen Panettiere in 2019Credit: Amanda Edwards/Getty

The Remember the Titans star documented her estranged relationship with her mother Vogel, who was her manager growing up, in her May 2026 memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning. In the book, the actress claimed that at the age of 19, she told her mother that she no longer wanted her to manage her career and she replied with, “You owe me.”

Vogel said now that she has a different recollection of the conversation.

“I remember being in her trailer and literally saying nothing. It was a very short, very brief conversation and then she returned to set,” Vogel claimed in the GMA interview. “I know I didn’t say what she said I said.”

As for Hayden’s downward spiral, Vogel believes it began after the former child star joined the show Heroes, which premiered in 2006.

“I would say Hayden had a very happy life up until she got Heroes at 16,” Vogel recalled. “Here she was the star of a major TV series, but I would say at 17 I started seeing her going downhill. As she got older and it wasn’t my voice anymore, I wasn’t in charge of her choices. I tried to give her the best advice I could. But again, any young person, teen, they want to be liberated. And I get that.”

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While discussing her daughter’s legacy, Vogel said, “I want Hayden to be remembered for the talented, you know, beautiful, outgoing, intelligent woman she really was.”

The Greenville County Coroner’s Office previously said in a statement that first responders and Emergency Medical Services had initiated “advanced cardiac life support” measures on Aug. 16. “However, resuscitation efforts were unsuccessful,” and Hayden was pronounced dead at the scene.

A spokesperson for the Greenville Police Department said that “the preliminary investigation has not indicated any signs of foul play or suspicious circumstances.” In a dispatch audio obtained by PEOPLE, officials were heard discussing an “overdose” and “cardiac arrest” around the time of Panettiere’s death. However, no official cause of death has been released.

Panettiere’s on-again, off-again boyfriend Brian Hickerson and his brother Zach were with her at the time of her death, according to a police report obtained by PEOPLE. When first responders arrived, Brian showed police a “bag of medication” the late actress was taking, per the report.

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Coroner Mike Ellis of the Greenville County Coroner’s Office released a statement on Aug. 17, announcing that an autopsy had been completed and that “no signs of trauma were discovered that would have contributed to the death.”

According to the statement, the investigation of Panettiere’s death “remains active and ongoing.” On Aug. 20, a source told PEOPLE that the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) had also joined the investigation.

If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health challenges, emotional distress, substance use problems, or just needs to talk, call or text 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org 24/7.

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”