Jansen Panettiere died at the age of 28 in February 2023. TMZ was first to report the news that Jansen died in New York on February 19. In addition to his own work as an actor, Jansen was also known as the younger brother of actress Hayden Panettiere. Hayden, 35, and her family confirmed that Jansen died of cardiomegaly, or an enlarged heart, coupled with aortic valve complications, in a statement to ABC News.
Jansen was Hayden’s only sibling. The pair’s parents are soap actress, Lesley R. Vogel, and fire department lieutenant, Alan “Lee” Skip Panettiere.
In an interview with PEOPLE published in September 2024, Hayden recalled the grief she went through upon losing her brother.
“He was my only sibling, and it was my job to protect him,” the Scream franchise star told the outlet. “When I lost him, I felt like I lost half of my soul. … I will always be heartbroken about it. I will never be able to get over it. No matter how many years go by, I will never get over his loss.”
Nevertheless, Hayden explained that she learned something from the loss of her brother — to “pick your fights and just not let the little things upset you.”
Here’s everything you need to know about Jansen Panettiere.
While Jansen may not be as recognizable as his sister, he has several acting credits to his name. He had a role in Hayden’s Disney Channel movie Tiger Cruise in 2004. He also voiced characters in Ice Age and Racing Stripes and The X’s. In 2007, Jansen starred in the television film, The Last Day of Summer, and he was also in the movie The Babysitters. His most recent credit was an appearance on The Walking Dead in 2019. Some of Jansen’s other movies include The Perfect Game, The Forger, Summer Forever and more.
