Hayden Panettiere was remembered by a gathering of celebrity friends at a memorial service in Malibu, California, on Saturday.
Paris Hilton and Panettiere’s former Nashville co-stars Connie Britton and Charles Esten were among those who attended the celebration of life at a local church, according to TMZ.
Evan Ross, Jonathan Jackson and Lennon Stella were also reportedly present at the memorial.
A source described the gathering as “emotional and beautiful,” telling TMZ that it began with doves being released outside the church.
Roughly 150 guests later gathered inside, where a band had been arranged for the service. Britton and Esten delivered speeches in honor of their late co-star.
Esten also performed a song from Nashville, the television series in which he and Panettiere appeared together.
The late Hayden Panettiere was remembered by celebrity friends at a memorial on Saturday, according to TMZ
Connie Britton, Panettiere’s Nashville co-star, was among those who delivered a tribute; Britton and Panettiere are pictured together in 2012
Paris Hilton and Evan Ross were among the stars who attended Panettiere’s celebration of life at a church in Malibu, California
Panettiere’s father, Skip, attended the service, while her mother, Leslie Vogel, from whom the actress was estranged, was reportedly absent.
A source close to Vogel denied that she had been invited, but told 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 responded to reports that they were excluded from the actress’s memorial.
According to TMZ, the brothers understand why they were not included in the celebration of life.
Panettiere died one month ago at age 36 after suffering cardiac arrest following a suspected overdose in South Carolina. She had been staying at an Airbnb with Brian, 37, and Zach, 38.
In the aftermath of the Nashville star’s death, Brian has reportedly been struggling and is said to have lost 40 pounds.
Last month, detectives confirmed to Our News Outlet that they had responded to a 911 call from an “acquaintance” of Panettiere, who reported that she was “unresponsive.”
TMZ previously reported that Narcan, a nasal spray used to reverse the effects of an opioid overdose, was found on a mattress in the loft apartment where Panettiere had been staying.
Charles Esten performed a song from Nashville during the memorial gathering on Saturday
Panettiere’s on-and-off boyfriend Brian Hickerson and his brother Zach were not included in the late actress’s memorial; they are pictured in 2018
The Greenville County Sheriff’s Office said Panettiere’s autopsy had been completed and that no signs of trauma were found on the actress’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 the weeks since Panettiere’s shock death, Zach (pictured) and Brian have run into trouble with the law
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.
