EXCLUSIVE: Grieving Hayden Panettiere seen for the first time since her brother Jansen’s tragic death aged 28 ‘from an enlarged heart’ – as actress arrives at LAX
- Jansen passed away on February 19, a police report confirmed
- He was found ‘unresponsive’ in a chair by a friend
- READ MORE: Jansen Panettiere was found ‘unresponsive in a chair’ by friends
Hayden Panettiere was seen for the first time in public since her brother Jansen’s tragic death aged 28 last month – as she arrived at LAX Airport on Thursday.
Jansen Panettiere was found dead on February 19 at his apartment in Nyack, New York – he reportedly died ‘from an enlarged heart’ according to a statement issued by his relatives, who say it was confirmed by the Medical Examiner.
The actress, 33, clad in a green jacket, joggers and sneakers, was seen arriving at the terminal with a friend before they jetted off from California.
The sighting comes 11 days after Jansen’s death – friends concerned about his wellbeing found him ‘sitting upright in a chair unresponsive’ last month.
Panettiere recently paid tribute to her beloved younger brother’s ‘warmth and compassion for others.’
In a statement, the family said: ‘Jansen’s heart could be seen in his eyes, and his charm in his brilliant, engaging smile; his soul in his masterful and revealing paintings, and the joy of life in his dry wit.
Tragic loss: Hayden Panettiere was seen for the first time in public since her brother Jansen’s tragic death aged 28 last month as she arrived at LAX Airport on Thursday
Jansen Panettiere was found dead on February 19 at his apartment in Nyack, New York – he reportedly died ‘from an enlarged heart’ according to a statement issued by his relatives, who say it was confirmed by the Medical Examiner (pictured together in 2019)
‘His charisma, warmth, compassion for others, and his creative spirit will live forever in our hearts and in the hearts of all whom he encountered.
‘Though it offers little solace, the Medical Examiner reported Jansen’s sudden passing was due to cardiomegaly (enlarged heart), coupled with aortic valve complications.
‘We sincerely appreciate the outpouring of love and support towards our family as we navigate this unthinkable loss, and ask that we be gifted our privacy during this time of mourning.
‘We love you so much Jansen and you will be in our hearts forever.’
A source told Daily Mail las week that Panettiere ‘is in the grieving process right now, but the reports that she is headed for a relapse are utter and complete BS.’
The comments come after Hayden has been ‘inconsolable’ over her brother’s death, with neighbors telling DailyMail.com that Jansen had been abusing prescription painkillers – believed to be Oxycodone – and had been ‘popping them like gumballs’ over the years.
Sources said that Jansen seemed to have sobered up after completing a stint in rehab last year, before falling off the wagon again in recent months.
‘Jansen was her brother, and he was also her best friend,’ the source continued. ‘She talked to him every day and he never judged her. Without him she would not have had the success she has, and she will be the first to say this.’
Sighting: The actress, 33, clad in a green jacket, joggers and sneakers, was seen arriving at the terminal with a friend before they jetted off from California
Grieving: The actress was seen for the first since her brother’s death two weeks ago
A source recently told DailyMail.com: ‘Hayden feels incomplete and broken, but she is not spiraling by any means’
Support: The star was joined by a friend as she prepared for her flight
Sighting: Hayden was seen walking through the terminal days after her bereavement
Flight: Hayden chatted with her companion as she headed to her terminal
‘So, she feels incomplete and broken, but she is not spiraling by any means,’ the source continued.
‘She is being strong because she must be and says that one of the hardest parts is that she still goes to call or text him and realizes that she can’t. She knows that he is watching over her from above and the last thing that she wants to do right now is get f**d up.
‘Hayden is surrounded by so much love and support from her family and friends. There is not one second of the day where she is alone at this time. No one would allow her to slip, and it is just horrible that anyone would say otherwise.
This has made everyone in her life come together and she is trying to find a silver lining in this because she knows that he would not want her to be in pain.’
In a statement, the family said: ‘Jansen’s heart could be seen in his eyes, and his charm in his brilliant, engaging smile; his soul in his masterful and revealing paintings, and the joy of life in his dry wit.
Friends of the 28-year-old who discovered his body began performing CPR in a desperate attempt to revive him, but EMTs pronounced him DOA when they arrived at the apartment last month
Jansen’s father, Alan ‘Skip’ Panettiere (seen with his son in 2007), was one of the first to arrive on the scene
The actor was found in a chair in his apartment in Nyack, New York (exterior pictured), which is located just a stone’s throw from the town of Palisades, where he and Hayden grew up
Jansen’s father Skip (seen with his ex-wife Lesley and their two children) told EMTs that he had spoken to his son the night before his death, noting that he had ‘sounded okay’
Neighbors say they wouldn’t be surprised if the actor-cum-artist had suffered a fatal overdose, saying Jansen was often seen returning to his apartment in the early hours of the morning looking ‘wasted’ and ‘shabbily dressed.’
One revealed The Walking Dead star lived at an apartment building on Main Street until a year and a half ago, when Jansen mysteriously disappeared from the scene for ‘a good year.’
‘He’d come out of a car at 4am wasted,’ said the local. ‘He said he was just coming back from a shoot. He looked destroyed.’
The neighbor described Jansen, who was born and raised in the Rockland County area, as a ‘regular, friendly’ and ‘unpretentious’ guy who never spoke about his famous sibling or his own work as an actor.
‘He was very nice guy, very friendly, he was an artist and an actor. Very friendly and generous; he would always offer me help,’ he added.
‘When he moved out of here; he disappeared. Then his father came and got his stuff out and said I have to get him out of here. Then he left for a year.’
The neighbor said Jansen ‘resurfaced’ in town at some point last year but had moved to another apartment a few blocks away.
‘When he left he probably went into rehab. He moved out, his dad grabbed his stuff,’ the neighbor added.
Hayden (seen with her brother left in 2008 and right in 2013) has been left ‘inconsolable’ by Jansen’s death, a source close to the actress told DailyMail.com
Jansen shared the final photo of himself on Instagram on February 6, posting a photo of some street art while joking in the caption: ‘Graffiti is illegal’
In January, Jansen shared a series of photobooth photos on Instagram in which he is seen kissing his girlfriend, ICU nurse Catherine Michie
‘When he came back he looked okay in the beginning. He looked like a different person. He came back straightened up. Then he went downhill from there.’
Jansen’s body was discovered in his New York home by three friends who found him ‘unresponsive’ in a chair and desperately tried to revive him with CPR, a chilling police report has revealed.
Friends of the actor and artist grew ‘concerned’ when Jansen failed to show up to a prearranged meeting and went to check on him at his home in Nyack, just a stone’s throw from the town of Palisades, where he and Hayden spent their childhood.
Upon arrival, the friends – who have been identified as Benjamin Brown, Joe Fails, and Lars Arianti – found Jansen ‘sitting upright in a chair unresponsive’ and desperately began performing CPR in the hopes of reviving him.
Fails phoned 911, while another got in touch with Jansen and Hayden’s father, Alan ‘Skip’ Panettiere, who arrived on the scene as Brown was doing chest compressions.
Skip told EMTs that he had spoken to his son ‘via telephone the night before’ and that he had ‘sounded okay’.
When EMTs arrived at Jansen’s home, he was ‘laying on his back on the living room floor, not breathing, and cold to the touch with lividity’; the 28-year-old was pronounced dead on arrival by a Nyack EMT at 5:11PM.
‘Deceased was pronounced dead on arrival by an EMT,’ the report continued. ‘There were no obvious signs of trauma observed.’
According to Orangetown Police Sgt. Peter Maher, there is no cause of death yet.
‘As part of this ongoing investigation we are awaiting an official determination of the cause of death from the Rockland County Medical Examiner,’ he told DailyMail.com.
The police report was released to the public just hours after a source close to Hayden revealed that she had been left ‘inconsolable’ by the loss of her only brother and ‘best friend’ – who had been battling ‘terrible anxiety and depression’ before his death.
According to the insider, Jansen had been ‘having a rough time lately with his career’ and felt as though he was ‘being dragged in so many directions’.
‘He had been having a rough time lately with his career and he was dragged in so many directions,’ the source shared.
‘Hayden is just inconsolable. He was her best friend and her only brother. He was such a nice guy but he lived on the edge.’
According to a biography on Jansen’s website, the former actor-turned-artist had been struggling with ‘terrible anxiety and depression’ as an adult, a condition that was triggered while he was living in Los Angeles.
‘After spending time in LA as an adult he was ridden with terrible anxiety and depression,’ the website states – noting that Jansen would later find ‘healing’ in his artwork.
On a separate website that highlighted his graffiti work, Jansen also admitted that he had experimented with drugs in the past, writing: ‘I AM a good person. I don’t do anything illegal illegal or at least I don’t do illegal things that hurt people in front of me, if that makes sense.
‘I’ve done drugs but I don’t steal. Not to say that anyone that’s ever stolen something is a bad person and far from it. Meaning I have my moments like everyone else.’
‘I was frustrated with the whole acting thing so I would take it out on weird things like clothes.’
After leaving Los Angeles, Jansen had been living in an apartment in Nyack, just a stone’s throw from the quaint town of Palisades, where he and Hayden grew up.
Angelina Jolie also grew up in the area, and it has been home to a number of stars over the years, including Al Pacino, Bill Murray, and veteran broadcaster Diane Sawyer.
Hayden and Jansen were last seen together less than one month before his death. Jansen shared a picture of Hayden cutting his hair on January 24.
READ MORE: Hayden Panettiere’s secret pain: As actress is left ‘inconsolable’ by sudden death of her brother, 28, FEMAIL reveals the many brutal behind-the-scenes struggles she’s faced
‘Not the first haircut she’s tried to give me,’ he joked in the caption.
He also posted a throwback of the duo from a rafting trip on November 4, 2022.
He shared his last post over the weekend, featuring a new snap of his graffiti artwork.
On January 12, Jansen had also shared a series of images of himself in a photobooth with his apparent girlfriend, ICU nurse Catherine Michie.
The image collection showed the pair beaming happily for the cameras with their heads together, while one snap captured them sharing a sweet kiss.
He captioned the post, simply: ‘My babe.’
Hayden and Jansen were born to Lesley R. Vogel, a former soap opera actress, and Alan Lee Panettiere, a captain in the Fire Department of New York City.
Jansen, who was five years younger that his sister, followed Hayden’s footsteps into acting. His IMDb lists the 2022 comedy Love and Love Not as his last role.
His other work includes roles in The Walking Dead, Major Crimes, Shia LaBeouf’s TV show Even Stevens, Blue’s Clues, Ice Age: The Meltdown, and Robots.
He also had a recurring role as Truman X in The X’s on Nickelodeon.
The duo also worked together on Tiger Cruise in 2004, and Racing Stripes in 2005.
Jansen received a nomination for a Young Artist Award in 2008 for his work on The Last Day of Summer.
At the time of his death he was attached to five different projects.
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