Hayden Panettiere posts loving tribute for late brother Jansen Panettiere on Instagram: ‘I’ll love you forever’
Hayden Panettiere will always be a loving older sister.
The 34-year-old actress posted a heartwarming throwback photo of her and her late brother, Jansen Panettiere, 28, to Instagram on what would have been his 29th birthday.
In the image, a young Hayden smiles behind her younger brother as they pose together in front of a Christmas tree.
“Happy birthday bro,” the Nashville star wrote in the caption.
She added, “I miss you every day. I will love you forever,” with a red heart emoji.
Everlasting love: Hayden Panettiere posted a heartwarming throwback photo of herself with her little brother Jansen Panettiere on what would have been Jansen’s 29th birthday
Gone too soon: Hayden’s little brother died earlier this year from an enlarged heart: seen in 2015
The Scream VI actress is still dealing with Jansen’s passing, after losing her beloved younger sibling earlier this year.
A source close to the I Love You star, Beth Cooper, told the DailyMail earlier this year that Jansen was her “best friend.”
“She talked to him every day and he never judged her,” the insider added.
Hayden would be the “first to say” that “without him she wouldn’t have had the success she has,” the source said.
In her first TV interview on Good Morning America since Jansen’s untimely passing, the Bring It On: All Or Nothing lead actress held a hand close to her heart and said, “He’s here with me.”
According to a medical researcher, Jansen died ‘of an enlarged heart’, according to an official statement from his relatives.
The statement was read in part as a beautiful tribute to the late actor: “Jansen’s heart was in his eyes, and his charm in his brilliant, endearing smile; his soul in his masterful and revealing paintings, and the joie de vivre in his dry humor.’
The family added: “His charisma, warmth, compassion for others and his creative spirit will live on forever in our hearts and in the hearts of everyone he encountered,” the family noted, adding it was of “little comfort” that they finally knew what the cause was. his death – cardiomegaly (enlarged heart), linked to aortic valve complications.”
Before the Even Stevens star passed away, he had a slew of acting credits to his name, including roles in The Walking Dead, Everybody Hates Chris and multiple film roles.
Perfect Couple: According to an insider, Hayden attributed much of her success as an actress to her little brother; seen in 2019
Family is forever: The Ice Princess star never forgot her younger brother, who ‘never judged her’; seen in 2019
Stage presence: Hayden’s little brother had built a solid acting career over the years: featured in 2009’s The Perfect Game
Goofy guy: Family members and loved ones recalled that the late actor had a loving spirit
In addition to acting for the screen, Jansen appeared on stage alongside acting greats such as Jamie Lee Curtis for a 2012 production of Dustin Lance Black play 8, a story about how Prop 8 was overturned.
The stage and screen actor also found himself developing a talent for graffiti art after appearing on The Walking Dead.
Before he passed away, he regularly shared photos of his art on his Instagram page.
During a joint interview with his sister for TV Guide (via US Weekly) in 2007, Jansen sang his sister’s praises when they worked together on a film project, affectionately noting, “She helps me a lot.”