Jansen Panettiere death: Actor and brother of Hayden Panettiere dies aged 28

Jansen Panettiere, the younger brother of Hayden Panettiere, has died at age 28.

The actor appeared in series such as The Walking Dead, as well as the 2019 film How High 2. As a child in the early 2000s, Hayden also starred in Even Stevens, The X’s, Tiger Cruise, Racing Stripes and The Martial Arts Kid.

Most recently, Jansen appeared in the 2022 festive film Love and Love Not.

A representative for the actor confirmed the news of his death to Deadline.

Law enforcement officials were allegedly called to his New York home on Sunday (19 February) at around 5.30pm, TMZ reports.

As of yet, no further details have been released. The Independent has reached out to representatives for Hayden Panettiere for comment.

Jansen, who was five years younger than Scream and Nashville star Hayden, is described as having followed his sister’s footsteps into the entertainment industry.

Three weeks ago, Jansen shared a black-and-white photo of them both on his Instagram page, showing her cutting his hair.

“Not the first haircut she’s tried to give me,” reads his caption for the post.

As well as being an actor, Hayden was also an artist in other disciplines. His website reads: “One of a kind. Artist. Creator. Actor. Human Being.”

Most recently, he’d been promoting his fashion line of sports and casual wear, adorned with some of his artwork.

His latest upload appeared to be a picture of his girlfriend, Catherine Michie, standing next to a colourful abstract portrait.

Jansen’s family have not yet spoken out on the reports, but fans and friends have started to leave public tributes and messages of condolence on his social media channels.

Selma Blair commented on one of his Instagram posts: “Fly with the angels.”

“You were so talented, my goodness. What a loss for the world and your family,” reads another message, while someone else wrote: “So much talent, may you rest in peace. Sending love to Hayden, your parents, and your girlfriend. My heart is with you all.”

Jansen is survived by Hayden and their parents Lesley Vogel and Skip Panettiere.