Only weeks before Jansen died, he offered followers a lighthearted glimpse into his relationship with his older sister.
In January 2023, Jansen posted a photograph showing Hayden cutting his hair.
At the time, it was simply a playful moment between siblings. Soon afterward, however, the photograph became one of the final public glimpses of them together.
Jansen died unexpectedly in February 2023. He was 28.
His family later issued a statement remembering the young actor and artist for his personality, compassion and creativity.
They continued:
The family also disclosed the medical examiner’s findings concerning his death.
The explanation answered one question, but it did little to ease the family’s grief.
For Hayden, losing her younger brother became something she would continue trying to understand for years.
Hayden Never Stopped Talking About Jansen
Two years after his death, Hayden shared an emotional tribute marking the anniversary.
She then revealed how deeply the loss remained with her.
Months later, in September 2025, Hayden again remembered Jansen on what would have been his 31st birthday.
She described him as a “remarkable human being” who had been “wise beyond his years.” She also wrote of her belief that his presence remained close to the family.
Those words now carry additional emotional weight following Hayden’s death.
Her Grief Was Complicated by Guilt
While preparing for the release of her memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning, Hayden revealed that writing about Jansen had been among the most difficult parts of telling her story.
It was not simply grief she was confronting.
She was also struggling with the guilt she felt as his older sister.
Hayden discussed Jansen’s struggles with substance abuse and acknowledged that discovering the seriousness of his addiction had left her wondering whether she could have done more.
She had attempted to help him obtain treatment and stayed in communication with his therapist. But Hayden said the siblings experienced treatment very differently.
While she remembered finding a sense of peace during treatment, she said Jansen felt “caged.”
That difference contributed to a painful question Hayden continued asking herself: Had she truly understood what her brother needed?
She eventually acknowledged one of the most difficult realities surrounding addiction.
She Had Tried to Protect Him for Years
During a 2026 appearance on the Jay Shetty Podcast, Hayden spoke even more extensively about her brother.
Their connection, she explained, had been strengthened by the unusual childhood they shared. Both had grown up in entertainment and understood experiences that people outside their family might have struggled to comprehend.
Hayden remembered worrying about Jansen’s behavior even before he reached adulthood.
Years later, those memories contributed to the guilt she carried.
But Hayden also found a way of remembering Jansen that brought her comfort.
His paintings remained particularly important.
For Hayden, the paintings represented more than artwork. They preserved something of the brother she had lost.
Hayden Was Fighting Her Own Battles
Jansen’s death occurred during a period when Hayden had already been open about struggles in her own life.
She discussed addiction, anxiety, postpartum depression and her experiences seeking treatment. She also challenged the perception that she had always been forced into rehabilitation.
Another deeply personal subject involved her daughter, Kaya, whom Hayden shared with former heavyweight boxing champion Wladimir Klitschko.
Hayden addressed public assumptions surrounding the decision for Kaya to live primarily in Europe.
She explained that the arrangement developed during a period when she was struggling significantly with her mental health.
When Kaya was approximately two and a half, Hayden said the decision was made for her daughter to live in Europe with her father.
Initially, Hayden found the situation extremely difficult.
Over time, however, Hayden said her perspective changed.
By the time she had recovered, Kaya had established a life in Europe that included family, friends and activities. Hayden concluded that removing her daughter from that environment simply because she herself was doing better would not necessarily have been in Kaya’s best interests.
Hayden emphasized that physical distance did not mean emotional absence.
She said she traveled whenever possible, communicated frequently with Kaya and maintained an exceptionally close relationship with her daughter.
She also firmly rejected suggestions that Kaya believed her mother had abandoned her.
For Hayden, the suggestion that she had simply walked away from her child was particularly painful.
Hayden Panettiere Dies Suddenly at 36
Only months after speaking publicly about these intensely personal experiences, Hayden Panettiere died on August 16, 2026.
Her father, Skip Panettiere, confirmed the loss in a family statement.
Hayden was reportedly found unresponsive at a residence in Greenville, South Carolina.
Police said officers and emergency medical personnel responded at approximately 1:50 p.m. Medical assistance was provided, but Panettiere was pronounced dead at the scene.
Authorities subsequently said the Greenville Police Department was investigating the death alongside the Greenville County Coroner’s Office.
Preliminary findings did not indicate foul play or suspicious circumstances.
An official cause of death had not been publicly announced, making it important to avoid drawing conclusions about precisely what happened until authorities release further findings.
A Complicated Personal Chapter
Reports surrounding Hayden’s final days also renewed attention on her relationship with Brian Hickerson.
The relationship had previously received widespread attention following a domestic violence case involving Hickerson. In 2021, he was sentenced to jail and probation after pleading no contest to two felony counts of injuring a spouse or girlfriend.
Hayden had previously spoken publicly about what she said she experienced during the relationship.