Lesley Vogel Mourns Hayden Panettiere at 36, Says Daughter 'Lost Her Way'

3 articles · Updated · Variety · Aug 18

NBC News published Lesley Vogel’s first extended comments on Hayden Panettiere’s death at 36, with the estranged mother saying the actress "lost her way" after struggles in the entertainment industry.
Vogel, who also managed Panettiere early in Hollywood, said young performers can find "the wrong path" and framed her daughter’s decline as part of the pressures of growing up in show business.
Their relationship had already fractured publicly in May, when Panettiere’s memoir accused Vogel of harsh control — including supergluing a fallen tooth back in so she would not lose a job.
Vogel had dismissed that memoir-era conflict as partly book promotion and said then that parents cannot save someone "who does not want to be saved," underscoring the long estrangement before Panettiere’s death.
Vogel added that Panettiere is now "with her brother" Jansen, who died at 28 in 2023, casting the family tragedy in a wider personal context.