Jansen Panettiere Dies: Hayden Panettiere's Actor Brother Was 28

Jansen Panettiere, actor and younger brother of Nashville star Hayden Panettiere, has died. He was 28.

According to Deadline, a rep for the actor confirmed his passing on Monday, February 20, but no cause of death has been provided as of writing. A source told TMZ no foul play was suspected.

Born September 25, 1994, in Palisades, NY, Jansen started his career with a number of voice acting roles before making his first on-screen appearance on Disney Channel’s Even Stevens alongside a young Shia LaBeouf. He went on to star in the likes of Hope & Faith, Third Watch, and the television film Tiger Cruise, in which he appeared opposite his older sister Hayden.

He also continued his voice acting work, starring as Periwinkle in the sixth season of Blue’s Clues and the voice of Young Stripes in the 2005 sports comedy film Racing Stripes, which also starred his sister.

His other credits include Everybody Hates Chris, The Last Day of Summer, The Forger, Summer Forever, The Martial Arts Kid, How High 2, and The Walking Dead. His final role came in the 2022 movie Love and Love Not.

In addition to his acting work, Jansen was a keen artist who often shared his portraits and other artwork on his Instagram page. He also posted a photo with Hayden back in January, showing his sister cutting his hair. “Not the first haircut she’s tried to give me,” he captioned the image.

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