Jansen Panettiere, The Brother of Hayden Panettiere and a Former Child Actor, Passed away at The Age of 28

Photos by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Jansen Panettiere at a celebration in 2015 in Los Angeles

Jansen Panettiere, who played with his sister Hayden Panettiere in Disney Channel films as a child, passed away in New York City over the weekend, according to PEOPLE. He was 28. Although there is no indication of foul play, TMZ adds that the cause of death remains unknown.

Jansen, born in Palisades, New York, on September 25, 1994, appeared in a background part in a Disney Channel episode of Even Stevens. He then performed voiceover roles in animated films and television programs like Blue’s Clues, Ice Age: The Meltdown, and The X’s. He provided the voice for the super-smart scion of an espionage family in the later Truman X.

In the 2004 Disney Channel original film Tiger Cruise and the 2012 straight-to-DVD movie The Forger, Jansen, and Hayden starred together twice. In the animated film Racing Stripes, in which Hayden played the starring part, he also provided the voice of the zebra’s younger self.

Jansen and Hayden continued to have a close sibling bond. He most recently shared a black-and-white image of Hayden attempting to trim his hair on Instagram on January 24. He wrote, “Not the first haircut she’s tried to give me.

2019 saw Jansen’s final on-screen appearances in an episode of The Walking Dead from season 9 and the movie How High 2. Since then, he has developed a greater interest in visual art, as evidenced by the numerous images of his vibrant artwork, including graffiti and shoe designs, that appear in his most recent Instagram postings. In the caption of his most recent post, he stated, “This is one of my favorites.”