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Jansen Panettiere’s family, including his sister Hayden, are remembering the late actor a week after his sudden death aged just 28.
“Jansen’s heart was in his eyes and his charm in his bright, engaging smile; his soul in his masterful and insightful paintings and the joie de vivre in his wry wit,” his family, including his mother Lesley Vogel, father Skip Panettiere and his sister, “Scream VI” star Hayden Panettiere, said in a statement to ABC News.
The family added, “His charisma, warmth, compassion for others and creative spirit will live forever in our hearts and in the hearts of everyone he met.”
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The family also said in their statement that Jansen died of an enlarged heart.
“While offering little consolation, the coroner reported that Jansen’s sudden death was due to cardiomegaly (enlarged heart) associated with aortic valve complications,” the family said.
Panettiere was known for his voice acting roles on Ice Age: The Meltdown and The X’s, as well as his roles in the Nickelodeon film The Last Day of Summer and the AMC series The Walking Dead.
Gregg Deguire/WireImage, FILE
Actors Hayden Panettiere (R) and brother Jansen Panettiere arrive at the 2013 Environmental Media Awards at Warner Bros. Studios October 19, 2013 in Burbank, California.,
“We sincerely appreciate the love and support for our family as we navigate this unthinkable loss and ask that we have our privacy at this time of grief,” the family said. “We love you so much Jansen and you will always be in our hearts.”
Jansen Panettiere was a talented artist who posted much of his work on Instagram. He had also just shared a photo of his sister, five years his senior, cutting her hair just weeks before he died.
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Following in his older sister’s footsteps, he tried his hand at acting and landed his first television role on the hit Disney Channel show, Even Stevens.
Panettiere later appeared in several TV shows and alongside his sister in the 2004 Disney Channel film Tiger Cruise.
His last television role was in a 2019 episode of The Walking Dead, portraying Casper, a member of the Hilltop Colony.