Hayden Panettiere’s Mom Was ‘Numb’ After Learning of Daughter’s Death

Hayden Panettiere’s death still hasn’t “hit” her estranged mom Lesley Vogel.

The Nashville actress died at 36 years old on Sunday, August 16 after going into cardiac arrest at the South Carolina home of her on-again, off-again boyfriend Brian Hickerson.

As the authorities perform an investigation into her death, Lesley has opened up about the abrupt news that left her feeling “numb.” She confessed she “couldn’t feel anything” when she initially got the call.

While speaking to Good Morning America, she admitted she is still processing her daughter’s passing.

“It will probably hit me later on,” she explained. “I still am not grasping that this is real. It doesn’t feel real; my mind tells me it’s not at times. You know, it’s going to be a process.”

When Hayden’s mom originally broke her silence on the actress’ death, her sentiments were met with backlash from fans and colleagues like Gayle King. Now, she has responded to the scrutiny, saying, “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.'”

Lesley also mentioned she wants her daughter to be remembered for “the talented, you know, beautiful, outgoing, intelligent woman she really was.”

Hayden had been a prominent figure in Hollywood since 1994, when she made her acting debut in the ABC soap opera One Life to Live. Afterwards, she went onto star in hit projects like Heroes, Ice Princess and the Scream franchise. She last appeared on screen in January starring as Sarah Pangborn in the horror film Sleepwalker.

Just months after that, she released her memoir, This is Me: A Reckoning. Within the book, she opened up about the struggles she faced in life with alcoholism, depression and abusive relationships.