'I Felt Like I Lost Half Of My Soul': Hayden Panettiere Tragically Lost Her Brother 3 Years Before Her Death

The sudden death of Hayden Panettiere on August 16, 2026 — less than a week before her 37th birthday — is reverberating through the entertainment community. Panettiere had transformed herself from a child star to a respected actress throughout her short lifetime, and was looking to branch out into other ventures such as a makeup line shortly before her passing. This makes the second devastating loss in three years for the Panettieres, as Hayden's brother, Jansen Rane Panettiere, died at age 28 in February 2023 from complications related to an enlarged heart. Jansen was also an actor whose credits include "The Walking Dead," "Major Crimes," and a series of voice acting gigs. The loss of her younger brother left Hayden shattered and mourning for life.

On the two-year anniversary of Jansen's death, the "Nashville" star told People, "When I lost him, I felt like I lost half of my soul ... I will always be heartbroken about [him], I will never be able to get over it. No matter how many years go by, I will never get over his loss." Her grief was so visceral, she added, that she gained 40 pounds without any change in her eating habits. "Now I think my body was protecting itself, shielding itself from the world."

Hayden's final Instagram post was heartbreaking, as she appeared to be in a positive place in her life with "good times and good friends," but her many tributes to her brother are even more poignant. On that same second anniversary of his passing, she shared a photo of the two of them, saying in part, "This amazing human being touched the lives of so many. Especially mine. The pain isn't quantifiable." 

Born five years apart, Hayden and Jansen Panettiere (seen here in 2011) grew up in Palisades, New York, the children of a NY Fire Department captain and an actress mother who got her children into the performing world at a young age. The couple went through a prolonged divorce proceeding before the union finally ended in 2016. Through it all, the siblings stayed close; Hayden's Instagram feed includes photos of her and her brother grinning in the car, posing under a Christmas tree, and serving as their dad's attendants at his wedding to their stepmom. Not even the COVID pandemic could separate them; in 2021, they posed together in face masks during a trip to Tahiti.

While his sister made her name on the big and small screens, Jansen focused his attention on art, becoming a prolific painter. His vibrant works combined expressionism with folk and street art, with an occasional nod to whimsy; one painting from 2022 was a tribute to the "Blue's Clues" character Periwinkle the cat, which he voiced for several episodes. Like Hayden, who supported her Ukrainian family and friends through relief efforts, Jansen donated a portion of his art sales to a nonprofit helping the war-torn country.

In a September 2025 Instagram post, Hayden remembered her beloved brother on what would have been his birthday, calling him "a remarkable human being" and "everything that is good and pure in this world." She ended with a chillingly prescient statement: "I love you to infinity and beyond J and we will be together again one day." Fans turned to the comment section to pay posthumous tributes, with one saying, "You're together now, rest in peace."