Skip and Lesley Panettiere had already buried one child; now they must relive the pain after losing Hayden
Jansen, the younger of their two children, died in February 2023 in Nyack, New York, at age 28, from an enlarged heart and complications involving the aortic valve.
Hayden, his older sister and a renowned actress from series such as Heroes and Nashville, once said that losing Jansen was like losing half of her soul.
On Sunday, August 16, 2026, at age 36, Hayden also died. Greenville police are investigating the circumstances, although they have so far ruled out violence.
Skip, her father, described her as ‘a force of nature’ in the statement confirming the news.
Hayden leaves behind Kaya, her 12-year-old daughter, who is now growing up without a mother or an uncle, while her grandparents face what no parent should have to endure twice.