Hayden Panettiere's Brother Jansen Dead At 28: 5 Facts About Late Child Actor

Hayden Panettiere's younger brother, Jansen Panettiere, has died, according to reports. He was 28.

Jansen passed away in New York City over the weekend, People reported.

His cause of death has not been disclosed. However, an unnamed source told TMZ that no foul play was suspected.

Here are five things to know about the late child star.

1. Jansen and Hayden had a close sibling relationship

Hayden is five years senior to Jansen, but they were very close. Three weeks ago, Jansen shared a black and white photo of them, with Hayden giving him a haircut.

"Not the first haircut she's tried to give me," he wrote in the caption.

In a previous interview, he also gave his big sister a shoutout for helping him with his career. Jansen credited his popularity to his sister.

"She gets me a little more noticed; she gets me in magazines," Jansen, who was 13 at the time, said of Hayden in an interview with TV Fanatic in 2007. "She gives me a kickstart. 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 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."

2. He starred in multiple TV projects

Although Jansen was not as popular as Hayden, he starred in several TV projects. He appeared alongside his sister on Disney Channel's movie "Tiger Cruise" in 2004. He also voiced characters in "Ice Age," "Racing Stripes" and "The X's."

In 2007, he starred in the TV film "The Last Day of Summer" and in the movie "The Babysitters." His most recent acting credit was "The Walking Dead" in 2019. His other film credits included "The Perfect Game," "Forger" and "Summer Forever," to name a few.

3. He was an artist

Jansen wasn't active in acting in recent years and instead poured his time into painting. Most of his posts on social media featured his artwork.

4. He had a merchandising business

Jansen had a website where he sold merchandise including T-shirts, hoodies, backpacks and shoes. He also had a separate Instagram account for those items.

"I started painting my problems which became my solution," the bio read, adding that "3% of all purchases goes to #@weareallukrainians2022."

5. He had a girlfriend

Jansen rarely didn't post much about his personal life on social media. However, in January, he shared a series of photos with a woman from a photo booth. In one snap, they were kissing.

The woman in the photos was tagged as Catherine Michie, but her account is private, according to Hollywood Life. In the caption, Jansen wrote, "My babe."

People noted that one of his last uploads appeared to be a portrait of Michie, which he captioned with a blue heart.