United Kingdom, Aug. 24 -- Hayden Panettiere was struggling with "pain" before her death, according to her mother Lesley Vogel.

The Heroes star - who died on August 16 aged just 36 - was estranged from Lesley but they are said to have spent some time together in Los Angeles last year and Lesley has claimed her daughter was battling a mysterious condition that left her in agony.

Lesley Vogel told The New York Times: "She was in pain. She was afraid. She couldn't physically function properly."

Lesley added that Hayden had "pins in needles" in her lower extremities which made it difficult for her to walk and she went to a number of doctors and tried massage and acupuncture treatments in a bid to ease her suffering.

She also claimed the a...