Connie Britton Leads Stars at Memorial for Hayden Panettiere’s Costar

Hayden Panettiere was remembered by close friends and former colleagues during a celebration of life held Saturday in Malibu, California.

Connie Britton, Jonathan Jackson and Sam Palladio, Panettiere’s former co-stars on Nashville, were among those who gathered at Malibu Pacific Church to honor the actress.

Ruby Rose, Beverly D’Angelo, Evan Ross, filmmaker Storm Santos, celebrity colorist Erick Orellana, makeup artist Beau Nelson and other figures from Panettiere’s personal and professional circles were photographed at the private event in exclusive images obtained by Our News Outlet.

The memorial began at about 5 p.m. outside the church, where as many as 150 guests shared food from Pizza Girl on a mezzanine.

Roughly 30 minutes later, several doves were released in a poignant tribute to Panettiere.

Guests later entered the church for the ceremony, where a large portrait of the actress was displayed beneath the message: ‘Honoring the life & legacy Hayden Panettiere 8.12.89 – 8.16.26.’

Jackson was visibly emotional during the evening, with Palladio seen offering support to his former Nashville co-star.

Security personnel remained posted at the church entrance throughout the event, and deputies from the local Sheriff’s Office were also present. The celebration ended at approximately 7:30 p.m.

One source described the gathering to TMZ as ‘emotional and beautiful.’

A band performed inside the church, while Britton and Charles Esten delivered speeches honoring Panettiere.

Esten also sang a song from Nashville, the television series that brought Panettiere and her fellow cast members together.

Panettiere’s father, Skip, attended the memorial, but her mother, Leslie Vogel, from whom the actress was estranged, was reportedly absent.

Skip was photographed in a suit with Hawaiian-style lei flowers draped around his neck.

A source close to Vogel disputed reports that she had been invited, telling TMZ that she was unable to attend because of a family emergency.

Panettiere’s on-and-off boyfriend, Brian Hickerson, and his brother, Zach, have also responded after reportedly being excluded from the late actress’s memorial.

The brothers understand why they were not included in Panettiere’s celebration of life, according to TMZ.

Panettiere died one month ago at age 36, after going into cardiac arrest following a suspected overdose in South Carolina, where she was staying at an Airbnb with Brian, 37, and Zach, 38.

Amid the Nashville star’s death, Brian is said to be spiraling and has reportedly lost 40 pounds since Panettiere died.

Last month, detectives confirmed to Our News Outlet that they responded to a 911 call from an ‘acquaintance’ of Panettiere, who described her as ‘unresponsive.’

Narcan, a nasal spray used to reverse the effects of an opioid overdose, was found on a mattress in the loft apartment where the actress was staying, TMZ previously reported.

Greenville County Sheriff’s Office said that Panettiere’s autopsy has been completed and that no signs of trauma were found on the star’s body.

She had arrived in Greenville with Brian one day earlier.

According to the Greenville Police Department’s incident report, Zach told police that Brian was sleeping in a separate room of the Airbnb when he arrived and found the actress unresponsive in a chair.

Zach stated that Brian administered Narcan – a medication that reverses opioid overdoses – and that they performed CPR while communicating with 911 dispatchers.

Earlier this month, Brian and Zach were involved in a bar brawl, leading to the former’s detainment and the latter’s arrest for disorderly conduct.

The brothers had been drinking at Wild Wing Cafe, an eyewitness told TMZ, when other patrons allegedly heckled them over Panettiere’s August 16 death.

Panettiere had a tumultuous on-and-off relationship with Brian beginning in 2018.

Throughout their relationship, he was arrested and charged in connection with domestic abuse multiple times.

In 2021, he pleaded no contest to two felony counts of injuring a spouse or girlfriend, resulting in jail time, probation, domestic violence classes, $500 in restitution, and a five-year protective order, per People.

Zach previously told TMZ in the wake of the actress’s death: ‘There are a lot of assumptions, speculations and accusations currently swirling.

‘The truth will come out as the authorities complete and release additional details from the investigation. And that is important because the people who loved and adored Hayden deserve the truth.’

He described Panettiere as ‘precious’ and said her friends and family should be allowed to mourn her peacefully.

‘At this time, I want to clarify my involvement in effort to keep the focus on the fact that we lost one of the most precious individuals on this earth and to allow those that cared about her to mourn without additional noise, chaos, and misinformation being created and propagated by the media as well as the public,’ he said.