Actor Hayden Panettiere's younger brother, Jansen Panettiere, has died at the age of 28.
Panettiere died over the weekend in New York, according to TMZ. Citing sources, the outlet reported that authorities were called to a home on Sunday around 5:30 p.m. ET. No cause of death was given but investigators do not suspect foul play at this time, according to TMZ.
A rep for Panettiere confirmed his death to Deadline.
Born Sept. 25, 1994, in Palisades, New York, Panettiere kickstarted his career as a voice actor before landing his breakthrough role on Disney Channel's "Even Stevens," which also starred a young Shia LaBeouf.
From there, Panettiere was cast in the sitcom "Hope & Faith" and the drama "Third Watch" before he went on to voice the recurring character Periwinkle on "Blue's Clues." He also lent his voice to series like "100 Things To Do Before Middle School," as well as films like "Robots," and "Ice Age: The Meltdown."
Onscreen he had roles in Nickelodeon's "The Last Day of Summer," "The Babysitters," "Major Crimes" as well as in a 2019 episode of "The Walking Dead." He also appeared alongside his sister in the 2004 Disney Channel movie "Tiger Cruise."
Outside of acting, Jansen was an artist, sharing his paintings on Instagram. His last photo was with his friend, Catherine Michie, posing next to a portrait.
In the wake of his death, she took to Instagram to pay tribute to the actor and artist.
"I met you only a year ago, but you have been my best friend and biggest fan," she wrote.
"I will never forget the first time I saw your face and the first things you said to me," she continued. "Words cannot express the pain of knowing I won't hear your laugh again. I hope you find peace, and I'm sorry I wasn't there when you needed me most. The world is better because you were in it. I know we will paint together again someday. I'll always be your sugarpop. Someone wake me up and tell me this is a dream."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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