Hayden Panettiere’s Mother Breaks Silence After Star’s Tragic Death, Says Daughter ‘Lost Her Way’

Lesley Vogel, the estranged mother of late actress Hayden Panettiere, has spoken out after her daughter’s sudden and tragic death at the age of 36.

Panettiere’s Mother Opens Up

Vogel, a former actress who appeared on the ABC soap opera Loving in the 1980s, per IMDb, and who managed her daughter’s career as a child and teen star, spoke to NBC News about Panettiere’s passing on August 16 in South Carolina. She praised her daughter, while also pointing out the issues that come with being in show business at such a young age.

Panettiere was only four years old when she began playing Sarah Roberts on One Life to Live, later going on to play Lizzie Spaulding on Guiding Light before becoming a primetime star on Heroes.

“I think Hayden was an amazingly talented person in so many departments and I think young people who grow up in the entertainment industry — it is a struggle and it’s a very challenging industry and it’s not unusual for them to sadly find the wrong path,” Vogel told NBC. “I think it becomes very difficult to be true to yourself, and I think Hayden sadly lost her way, and I wish it were different. I wish she had stayed true to herself because she had many incredible attributes.”

It was only this past May when Panettiere released her memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning, and spoke of

her embattled relationship with her mother. During an appearance on the podcast On Purpose With Jay Shetty, Panettiere claimed Vogel said she owed her when she wanted to sever their professional relationship.

“Everything was business,” Panettiere said. “I became the confidant and the assistant and the therapist and the shoulder to cry on and everything but her child.”

In the NBC interview, Vogel also spoke of her son, Jansen, who died three years ago at the age of 28. “I just feel that she’s with her brother and they’re at peace.”

Panettiere was found in a South Carolina apartment complex on Sunday after a 911 call. Although an autopsy found no signs of trauma, according to NBC, the circumstances behind the actress’ death are being investigated.