Hayden Panettiere’s heartbreaking tribute to younger brother Jansen resurfaces following death

A heart-wrenching tribute that Hayden Panettiere paid to her late brother, who she said she 'missed every day', has now resurfaced following her death.

The US actress, famed for her appearances in the likes of Nashville, Scream and Heroes, had previously opened up about the sudden loss of her brother Jansen Panettiere who passed away in 2023.

It comes after representatives for Panettiere announced that she had tragically died aged just 36 on Monday (17 August).

The star had frequently spoken out about the death of Jansen, who was only 28-years-old himself when he died from complications with his heart, describing it as the 'biggest heartbreak' of her life.

And now, a social media post has resurfaced from when the star paid an emotional tribute to him on what would've been his 31st birthday.

In the Instagram post on 25 September last year, she shared a picture of the two as youngsters, and penned: "My little brother Jansen would've turned 31 today. He was a remarkable human being.

"He was wise beyond his years and operated at a higher spiritual level than anyone I've ever met. He was everything that is good and pure in this world.

"I miss him every single day but I know his spirit is always near, watching over and protecting me and my family. I love you to infinity and beyond J and we will be together again one day."

Also appearing on the Jay Shetty podcast in May, she held back tears while describing the loss of Jansen as 'heartbreaking'. Discussing how close they were, she explained: "There's nothing in my life that feels like losing my other half. He was born to be the yin to my yang.

"We were so close. 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.

"I would need a dictionary to go through all the words for all the feelings that you go through in your mind. I know time is the best healer, but it's been three years and every year the heartbreak has changed.

"But losing him and realising how much of life I was going to have to go through alone and without him, where I always saw him as being there.

"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'

"That's something I don't think I'll ever get over. I feel him with me."

Panettiere remembered as 'incredible light'

No cause of death or the circumstances around the tragedy have been confirmed following the actress' sudden death aged 36.

In a statement on Monday (17 August), a representative said her family would remember her as an 'incredible light' who brought 'immeasurable love and joy to all who knew her'.

The statement from her father Skip 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.”

Her father also asked that her family be given privacy as they 'take time to process this unimaginable loss'.

The 36-year-old began acting as a child, appearing in soap operas before gaining wider recognition for her role in the 2000 sports drama Remember The Titans alongside Denzel Washington, and as the voice of Dot in Pixar’s 1998 film A Bug’s Life.

Panettiere later found fame playing cheerleader Claire Bennet in the superhero drama Heroes before going on to star as up-and-coming country singer Juliette Barnes for six seasons on the hit TV series Nashville. She also starred as Kirby Reed in horror franchise Scream.

Her performances in Nashville earned her two Golden Globe nominations for best supporting actress, while her singing on the show produced 11 entries on the US Billboard Hot Country Songs charts.