‘biggest heartbreak’! Hayden Panettiere’s revealed before devastating d3ath at 36
Hayden Panettiere in tears after brother dies at 28 before her tragic death (Image: YouTube)
Beloved actress Hayden Panettiere has tragically died at the age of 36 just six days before celebrating her birthday. The news of her death was confirmed on Sunday by her representatives. Her father, Skip, also confirmed the tragic news. The statement read: “It is with profound sadness that we share the tragic passing of our beloved Hayden. She was an incredible light and a force of nature who brought immeasurable love and joy to all who knew her – and to the millions who watched her onscreen.” He asked for privacy “as our family takes time to process this unimaginable loss”.
Hayden’s cause of death is still unclear, however, TMZ reported both Hayden and boyfriend Brian Hickerson had flown out of Los Angeles on Saturday. The website also reported that police responded to an “incident” and that an investigation is ongoing.
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Three years before the Heroes star’s death, she suffered a personal tragedy following the death of her younger brother, who sadly died aged 28. Her sibling Jansen, who was also a child star, died after “complications with an enlarged heart” in 2023. Hayden opened up about the tragic loss of her brother in an emotionally candid interview earlier this year with YouTuber Jay Shetty.
Hayden Panettiere pictured with her younger brother Jansen (Image: Getty)
The on-screen star described the traumatic experience and the grief she felt after the loss.
“There’s nothing in my life that feels like losing my other half. He was born to be the yin to my yang,” the actress told Jay Shetty in May while holding back tears.
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“We were so close, and especially being the older sibling, it’s your job to protect them and keep them safe, and not being able to is… I mean, heartbreaking doesn’t even begin to cover it.’
Jansen was found dead in his apartment in Nyack, New York, “sitting upright in a chair unresponsive”.
Hayden Panettiere attended a red carpet event with her brother Jansen Panettiere (Image: Getty)
“I would need a dictionary to go through all the words for all the feelings that you go through in your mind,” she continued.
“I know time is the best healer, but it’s been three years and every year the heartbreak has changed. But losing him and realizing how much of life I was going to have to go through alone and without him, where I always saw him as being there.”
Hayden was admittedly “inconsolable” following her brother’s tragic death.
“There’s been so many times I want to call him all the time. He was my best friend and when he first died I remember screaming, “I don’t want to live in a world where he doesn’t exist,”‘ Hayden told the podcaster earlier this year.
“That’s something I don’t think I’ll ever get over. I feel him with me. I know that he’s protecting me from where he is and was needed elsewhere, but I wish he could be sent back to me.”
Law enforcement confirmed that police had responded to an incident at Hayden’s home and an investigation is ongoing.
