The actress' brother died at the age of 28.
Hayden Panettiere is reeling from the death of her younger brother, Jansen Panettiere. On Monday, ET confirmed that the actor died at the age of 28.
"Hayden is absolutely heartbroken," a source tells ET. "She loved her brother unconditionally and the two shared a special bond."
The source adds that Jansen struggled with his mental health in the past and was vocal with his family about his issues.
"Jansen suffered from mental health issues and art was his therapy and escape," the source says. "In the past, Jansen was open to family and friends about his struggles. Hayden was always there for him and constantly tried to help Jansen when she could."
A cause of death has not been revealed. ET has reached out to Hayden's rep for a statement.
TMZ was the first to report that Jansen died over the weekend in New York City. The outlet reported that law enforcement was called to a residence Sunday night around 5:30 p.m. and while no official cause of death has been released, there's no foul play suspected in Jansen's death.
Jansen shared a look inside his relationship with Hayden earlier this year. In January, the artist took to Instagram to share a photo with Hayden, where she is seen smiling while cutting his hair. "Not the first haircut she’s tried to give me," he captioned the black-and-white picture.
Like his sister, Jansen was an actor. He had several film and TV roles throughout the early 2000s, with credits on Even Stevens, The X's, Tiger Cruise, Racing Stripes, The Martial Arts Kid, The Walking Dead, Perfect Game and How High 2. His most recent role was in the 2022 Christmas film, Love and Love Not.
Jansen is survived by his sister, Hayden, and their parents, Lesley Vogel and Skip Panettiere.
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