What happened to Hayden Panettiere’s brother Jensen? Actress pays tribute to late sibling

By early 2023, Hayden Panettiere had been trying to steady her life. She told People Magazine that after years of battling drugs and alcohol, she had been sober since leaving an inpatient program back in 2020. She had also gotten out of an on-again, off-again relationship and had thrown herself back into work, most recently with a role in Scream 6.

But weeks before the film was released, everything shifted. Her younger brother, Jansen, died unexpectedly. He was 28. The cause, later identified as an undiagnosed heart condition, came as little comfort in the face of the sudden loss. Talking about him with People Magazine, Hayden Panettiere admitted just how deep the wound went:

“He was my only sibling, and it was my job to protect him, when I lost him, I felt like I lost half of my soul.”

That grief lingered. On what would have been Jansen’s 31st birthday, she shared a quiet tribute, a small reminder that she was still, at heart, a sister missing her brother.

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Hayden Panettiere remembers brother Jansen with emotional post on his birthday

On September 25, Hayden Panettiere put a pause on the day for herself and for memories. She uploaded a photo from her childhood and offered a tribute for her brother on Instagram:

“My little brother Jansen would’ve turned 31 today. He was a remarkable human being. He was wise beyond his years and operated at a higher spiritual level than anyone I’ve ever met,” she wrote.

“He was everything that is good and pure in this world. I miss him every single day but I know his spirit is always near, watching over and protecting me and my family. I love you to infinity and beyond J and we will be together again one day. #JansenPanettiere @jrpanettiere #littlebrothers,” she added.

Jansen’s life had ended abruptly in 2023, officials later ascribed his sudden death to an enlarged heart and complications with his aortic valve. The family’s February 2023 statement said,

“Though it offers little solace, the Medical Examiner reported Jansen’s sudden passing was due to cardiomegaly (enlarged heart), coupled with aortic valve complications.”

They had also reflected on his gifts, stating that he was compassionate, charismatic, and brilliant and had an affinity for painting.

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Hayden Panettiere breaks silence on grief and its physical toll

Hayden Panettiere opened up about the challenges of navigating grief during a Sept. 24, 2024 appearance on Today. The actress had admitted that even now she was unsure if she had fully come to terms with her brother Jansen’s death.

“I think it’s something that transforms over time,” she shared.

Panettiere reflected on how the familiar framework of the five stages of grief felt incomplete to her.

“Maybe the five stages of grief is for people who have had a heartbreak or find out some bad news. Like, yes, there are five stages, but there’s so much more in between, and when you lose somebody that you saw in all the important moments in your life, standing right next to you, it just rocks your world,” she shared.

She went on to admit that she expected talking about grief and mental health would come more naturally. Instead, she described how unpredictable the process had been.

“I had no idea how my body, my mind, was going to react to grief, and it’s wild, what stress and grief and all these hormones running through your body can do,” she said.

She recalled how her mother once developed knots on her head from stress and added that grief comes in various forms and none should be judged by how it materialises.

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Hayden Panettiere shares heartfelt reflections after brother’s death

Hayden Panettiere opened up about her brother Jansen’s death for the first time in a People interview published on Sept. 18. The actress described how her body reacted in the days following his death. “Within days, I basically just like ballooned — ballooned out,” she said, noting that “stress and cortisol” can physically affect the body. Panettiere added that media attention made leaving her home difficult.

“I had to see horrific paparazzi pictures of myself coming out of Jansen’s funeral, which happened in a very private place, and it was shocking, my agoraphobia came out, which is something I’ve struggled with in the past,” she explained.

She also shared how these experiences impacted her self-esteem:

“I didn’t feel confident to put on clothes and get out of the house, but I also knew that I needed to get out and keep moving or I’d never stop looking and feeling this way, It became a destructive hamster wheel of, do I feel good enough to go out?”

The star eventually returned to work, crediting her publicist for introducing her to a personal trainer. She stated how her body reacted and how working out helped her release her stress and the high expectations she would always pin on herself.

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Hayden Panettiere’s journey through grief showed her that even in the deepest loss, healing and hope can slowly take root.