Jansen Panettiere, brother of actress Hayden Panettiere, dies aged 28

The actor was mostly in Nickelodeon and Disney Channel programmes

Jansen Panettiere appeared in shows such as Major Crimes and The Walking Dead. Getty Images

Nickelodeon and Disney Channel actor Jansen Panettiere, the brother of actress Hayden Panettiere, has died. He was 28.

Kasey Kitchen, a representative for the actor’s sister, confirmed the news of his death on Sunday to CNN.

Jansen was five years younger than Hayden and followed his sister into acting from a young age. He made his television debut in 2002 in the Disney Channel series Even Stevens and had a small role in the sitcom Hope & Faith, starring actress and television host Kelly Ripa.

He appeared in shows such as Blue’s Clues, Major Crimes, Everybody Hates Chris and The Walking Dead. Jansen also starred in the 2007 film The Last Day of Summer, the 2008 faith-based film The Secrets of Jonathan Sperry and 2009's The Perfect Game.

In addition to acting, Jansen also did a significant amount of voice-over work, including for characters in Nickelodeon’s Holly Hobbie & Friends, and animated feature films such as 2005's Robots and 2006's Ice Age: The Meltdown.

He also worked with his sister, who is mostly known for her starring roles in Heroes and Nashville. The siblings starred in the 2004 Disney Channel movie Tiger Cruise and later in the 2014 film The Forger.

According to Jansen’s website, he was “ridden with terrible anxiety and depression” during a period in his life and found solace when he turned to art and started to paint. The actor’s Instagram account shows his work as an artist with colourful graffiti-influenced portraits and abstract works.