Jansen Panettiere, younger brother of actress Hayden, died Sunday in New York at the age of 28, a family source told TMZ.
Law enforcement officers were called to a residence in New York City at approximately 5:30 p.m. Sunday evening. While the cause of the young actor’s death is unknown, authorities do not suspect foul play, TMZ reported.
Like his older sister, Jansen was a successful actor appearing in a number of television series and films, including “Even Stevens,” “Hope and Faith,” “Everybody Hates Chris” and “The Walking Dead.” He lent his voice to a number of shows and films in the early 2000s, including “Blues Clues,” “Racing Stripes,” “Robots,” and “Ice Age: The Meltdown.”
Hayden Panettiere’s brother Jansen Panettiere has died at 28 … TMZ has learned. https://t.co/l7HclRhs4l
— TMZ (@TMZ) February 20, 2023
Acting was not the only thing Panettiere was passionate about.
According to his biography, Panettiere began suffering from anxiety and depression after spending time in Los Angeles. Introduced to art at a young age by his amateur artist father, Panettiere sought clarity during this time of his life through art. That clarity drove him to begin “painting his problems, one by one.” (RELATED: ‘Days Of Our Lives’ Actor Cody Longo Dead At 34)
“It gives me a sense of ultimate purpose. In a world hypnotized by vanity fueled with comparison, art is my escape. The inner demons call to the angels of our being,” Panettiere wrote of his artwork on Medium. “Finally all these toxic thoughts and feelings have a stage to play and become something much more than just that weight on my chest, the clenching of my fists, the tightness in my jaw. In the words of Meryl Streep, ‘take your broken heart and make art.”‘
Panettiere created more than 50 pieces of “visceral and emotive” artwork in a continued effort to heal himself and others, his biography stated.