‘The Walking Dead’ star Jansen Panettiere, brother of Hayden, dies aged 28

21 February, 2023

The Walking Dead star Jansen Panettiere has died at the age of 28.

The actor, who is the younger brother of Scream star Hayden Panettiere, is thought to have passed away over the weekend in New York.

A family source reportedly confirmed the news to US outlets TMZ and Deadline, but his relatives and loved ones have not yet spoken publicly.

According to Deadline, law enforcement officials were called to a home at around 5.30pm on Sunday (February 19). A cause of death has no yet been disclosed.

Panettiere earned his first credit as a voice actor before landing a role in the Disney Channel comedy Even Stevens alongside Shia LaBeouf and Nick Spano.

Some of his subsequent credits include 2003 appearances on the sitcom Hope & Faith and the drama Third Watch. The following year, he voiced the recurring character Periwinkle on Blue’s Clues. He also featured in the sitcom Everybody Hates Chris.

Hayden Panettiere and Jansen Panettiere. Credit: Getty Images

For Nickelodeon, he starred in The Last Day Of Summer (earning a Young Artist Award nomination), The Babysitters and Major Crimes as well as having a recurring role in The Xs.

One of his more notable roles came in 2019 when he was cast in The Walking Dead as Casper, a resident of the Hilltop Colony.

Some of his film credits include Robots, Ice Age: The Meltdown, The Perfect Game and Summer Forever, among many more.

Panettiere and his sister worked together on a number of occasions including 2004’s Tiger Cruise, 2005’s Racing Stripes and 2012’s The Forger.

Away from acting, Panettiere was a budding artist and shared much of his work on Instagram. The actor regularly posted images of his paintings and designs for clothing, shoes and accessories.

Last month, he shared a black and white photo of his sister playing with his hair. He captioned the post: “Not the first haircut she’s tried to give me.”