Hayden Panettiere memorialized in Malibu celebration of life
Published in Entertainment News
Friends, family and close Hollywood colleagues honored Hayden Panettiere during a poignant celebration of life at a Malibu church this weekend, a month after the actress’s death from a possible drug overdose.
Reports placed “Nashville” co-stars Connie Britton, Charles Esten, Lennon Stella and Jonathan Jackson at the private, emotional tribute ceremony attended by about 150 people.
Malibu was chosen because of its proximity to the ocean and its creatures, which Panettiere loved, TMZ reported. The goal was to focus on her legacy rather than on her struggles, sources told the outlet. Doves were released outside the venue before guests moved inside.
Britton and Esten spoke, and Esten, backed by a band, sang one of the songs Panettiere performed as Juliette Barnes, the character she played in the country music drama, TMZ reported. Lennon Stella was also on hand, according to TMZ.
Other mourners included Panettiere pals Paris Hilton, Ruby Rose, and Panettiere’s father, Alan “Skip” Panettiere. Absent were Brian Hickerson, the actress’s on-again-off-again boyfriend, and her mother, Lesley Vogel. Word was they were not invited, though a source told TMZ that Vogel was drawn into a family emergency anyway and wouldn’t have made it.
Hickerson and his brother, Zach Hickerson, were with Panettiere when she died in a Greenville, South Carolina, Air BnB on Aug. 16. Zach found her unresponsive and Brian administered Narcan, but that did not revive her. Paramedics deployed extreme lifesaving measures, to no avail.
Authorities are said to be homing in on an alleged drug dealer who may be tied to her death, while her rep has slammed reports that Panettiere may have died after taking a single oxycodone pill coated in fentanyl. Toxicology results are still pending.
Last week Panettiere was one of those honored during an In Memoriam segment at the Emmy Awards, along with Rob Reiner, Catherine O’Hara and Dolly Parton.
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