Actress Hayden Panettiere’s younger brother, Jansen Panettiere, died unexpectedly of a heart condition at 28 three years before her tragic death . Hayden spoke out about it in a 2024 interview with People.
Also a child actor like his sister, Jansen died in February 2023 from aortic valve complications and an undiagnosed enlarged heart. Hayden told People that after losing her only sibling, she gained 40 pounds from the stress. Jansen was known for his roles in films The Secrets of Jonathan Sperry, The Perfect Game, The Martial Arts Kid, and How High 2.
“It didn’t matter what I did, what I ate. “Now I think my body was protecting itself, shielding itself from the world. He provided the voice roles of Periwinkle in the sixth and final season of the Nick Jr. children’s live-action/animated TV series Blue’s Clues, young Stripes in Racing Stripes, young Rodney Copperbottom in Robots, Truman X in the Nickelodeon animated TV series The X’s, and Shovelmouth Boy in Ice Age: The Meltdown. “This amazing human being touched the lives of so many. Especially mine. The pain isn’t quantifiable. I pray you’re in a beautiful place J. Rest easy brother. You are so missed and beyond loved. “It is with profound sadness that we share the tragic passing of our beloved Hayden.
I know stress and cortisol running through your body can do that,” she said. “2 years ago today, I lost my little brother,” she captioned a February 2025 Instagram post . That you’re at peace and that when all is said and done…I’ll see you again. She was an incredible light and a force of nature who brought immeasurable love and joy to all who knew her — and to the millions who watched her onscreen,” her rep said in a statement.
