MALIBU, CA. (THECOUNT) — Hayden Panettiere will be remembered by family, close friends and former colleagues Saturday at a private celebration of life in Malibu, California, with approximately 150 people expected to attend, according to reports. Panettiere’s mother, her former boyfriend Brian Hickerson and his brother Zach have reportedly been left off the guest list.
The memorial for the actress, who died August 16 at age 36 in Greenville, South Carolina, is scheduled to take place at a church in the coastal Los Angeles County community.
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Panettiere’s father, Skip Panettiere, is expected to attend, along with friends, former colleagues and other Hollywood figures. TMZ reported that the Malibu location was selected because of Panettiere’s love of the ocean and whales.
Sources with direct knowledge of the plans told TMZ that the gathering is intended to focus on Panettiere’s life and legacy rather than the struggles she experienced during her final years.
Panettiere’s mother, Lesley Vogel, and Brian Hickerson, Panettiere’s on-again, off-again former boyfriend, were not invited to the celebration, according to reports. Hickerson’s brother, Zach Hickerson, was also left off the guest list.
Vogel and Panettiere had become estranged before the actress’ death. In an August interview with ABC News, Vogel said the final estrangement developed after she spent approximately six weeks with her daughter while Panettiere was considering leaving Hickerson.
Vogel said Panettiere ultimately told her she planned to remain with Hickerson. Vogel said she then gave her daughter an ultimatum, telling her she could not remain in Panettiere’s life if Hickerson remained part of it.
Vogel said she expected the separation from her daughter to be temporary and described it as a “pocket of time,” rather than believing they would remain estranged permanently.
Hickerson had been in a long-running relationship with Panettiere that included periods of separation and reconciliation. He was with Panettiere in South Carolina when she was found unresponsive on August 16, according to reports.
Panettiere was found unresponsive at an apartment in Greenville. First responders performed CPR and other lifesaving measures before she was pronounced dead at 2:31 p.m., according to the Greenville County Coroner’s Office.
An autopsy found no visible injuries or trauma that would have contributed to her death, and authorities have not publicly determined that foul play was involved. The official cause and manner of death remain pending additional testing and toxicology results.
Reports citing law-enforcement sources have focused on the possibility that Panettiere ingested a counterfeit oxycodone pill containing fentanyl before her death. TMZ has reported that investigators believe she obtained prescription pills from a Los Angeles-area drug dealer and that the Drug Enforcement Administration searched her Los Angeles home as part of the investigation.
Those reports have not been confirmed as the official cause of death. Panettiere’s representative, Kasey Kitchen, has urged the public to wait for the completion of the investigation and final toxicology results, noting that conflicting reports have circulated.
“The answers we are all seeking will come,” Kitchen said in a statement regarding the ongoing investigation.
The investigation has expanded beyond South Carolina, with authorities examining the source of drugs that may have been involved in Panettiere’s death. The Los Angeles Times reported that federal and local investigators have been questioning people as part of the probe into the circumstances surrounding her death.
Panettiere became internationally known through roles in Heroes, Nashville and the film Remember the Titans. She also appeared in Ice Princess, Scream 4 and other film and television projects during a career that began when she was a child.
Her death came just days before what would have been her 37th birthday. Panettiere is survived by her daughter, Kaya, whom she shared with former heavyweight boxing champion Wladimir Klitschko.
The private Malibu gathering will give family members, friends and former colleagues an opportunity to remember Panettiere away from the continuing public attention surrounding the investigation into her death.
Geographic context: Malibu is a coastal city in Los Angeles County, California, approximately 30 miles west of downtown Los Angeles. The community is part of the greater Los Angeles metropolitan area and is known for its Pacific Ocean coastline, making the location particularly significant given Panettiere’s reported love of the ocean and whales.
Google Maps: Malibu, California
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