Jansen Panettiere, the brother of actress Hayden Panettiere, has died at the age of 28. Reports indicate that the graffiti artist passed away in New York.
According to TMZ,
“A family source tells us Jansen died over the weekend in New York. His cause of death is currently unclear. Law enforcement sources tell us they got a call to a residence Sunday night around 5:30 PM. We’re told there’s no foul play suspected in Jansen’s death.”
Jansen had a brief acting career in the early 2000s, appearing in shows such as Even Stevens and voicing the character Periwinkle in Blue’s Clues. He had a starring role in Tiger Cruise alongside his sister and provided voiceover work in the animated comedy Ice Age: The Meltdown. He starred in the Nickelodeon original movie Last Day of Summer and had two upcoming roles in 2021 and 2022.
In recent years, Jansen focused on his art career, often posting photos of his work on his Instagram page. He used brightly-colored spray paint to create vivid abstract pieces.
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Jansen was born and raised in New York. He was the uncle of Hayden’s 8-year-old daughter Kaya, whom she shares with ex-Wladimir Klitschko.
In a 2007 interview with TV Fanatic, Jansen said of his sister, “She gets me a little more noticed; she gets me in magazines. She gives me a kick-start. With The Last Day of Summer, they will notice me more because she is my sister. It is almost like you are looking in a book, and the bookmark is my sister and she is basically showing me, she is able to push me out there. She helps me tremendously.”
Hayden, for her part, joked at the time that she could still “beat him in a fight.” Jansen replied, “When I turn 14, dude, I’ll beat the shiitake mushrooms out of you.”
Jansen is survived by his sister, Hayden, and their parents, Lesley Vogel and Skip Panettiere. His death is a tragedy and his art will live on in his memory.
