The brother of Hollywood actress Hayden Panettiere (33) is dead. As the US portal "TMZ" initially reported, citing family circles, Jansen Panettiere died over the weekend in New York City. He was only 28 years old. The law enforcement authorities were called to a house around 5:30 p.m. on Sunday evening, but were only able to determine the death of the actress' brother, who was five years younger, it said. The police are now investigating the incident, but initially exclude a crime. Hayden Panettiere's agent has now confirmed the report to the US broadcaster CNN.

Jansen Panettiere also worked as an actor for many years, had a role alongside his sister in the drama "Colors of Love" and also played a small role in the hit series "The Walking Dead". He was also a sought-after voice actor, especially in the 2000s: his voice can be heard in the original version of "Ice Age 2 - Now taut's" or the animated film "Robots" from 2005. In recent years, however, he retired as an actor and voice actor and devoted himself to painting.

In a longer blog post, Jansen Panettiere also explained the step towards painting as a kind of therapy. He has drawn his whole life, but has only recently been able to identify with it. The activity helps him to overcome his anxiety and depression. He has also talked about his alcohol and drug abuse on several occasions.

Just three weeks ago, Jansen Panettiere posted a photo of himself and his sister on Instagram. On it you can see: The siblings are happy and exuberant when styling and cutting their hair. Jansen wrote: "Not the first haircut she's tried."

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