Why Hayden Panettiere Says She’s “Riddled With Guilt” After Brother Jansen Panettiere’s Demise 

Hayden Panettiere is looking back at a devastating chapter in her life.

Three years after the Heroes alum’s brother Jansen Panettiere died suddenly at age 28, she reflected on navigating her grief as an older sister.

“It’s all the time,” Hayden said of her grief during an exclusive interview with E! News. “It just evolves, especially with a sibling and being the older sibling. You’re just riddled with guilt that you didn’t do your job.”

“I miss him all the time,” she said. “I didn’t think I would have to do life without him, but I’m grateful that I had the time I had with him.”

Following Jansen’s death in February 2023, the Panettiere family told E! News in a statement, “Though it offers little solace, the Medical Examiner reported Jansen’s sudden passing was due to cardiomegaly (enlarged heart), coupled with aortic valve complications.” 

As Hayden, 36, wrote her memoir This Is Me: A Reckoning, out May 19, she admitted that the most difficult chapter to write was about Jansen.