Jansen Panettiere: Actor who starred in The Walking Dead and Ice Age 2 dies aged 28
The Walking Dead actor Jansen Panettiere - the brother of Heroes actress Hayden Panettiere - has died aged 28.
A representative for the former child star confirmed the news of his death to entertainment news website Deadline, but did not provide further details.
Jansen Panettiere was born in September 1994 in Palisades, New York, and followed his elder sister's footsteps in Hollywood.
He started his career as a child actor and appeared in several television and film roles from the early 2000s.
Panettiere was best known for his appearances on Even Stevens, The X's, The Lost Medallion, The Martial Arts Kid, and The Walking Dead.
He later began working as a voice actor and featured in Ice Age 2: The Meltdown as the Shovelmouth Boy and in Robots as Younger Rodney.
Last year, Panettiere appeared in the Christmas film Love And Love Not.
A colourful life
The actor was also known for his incredibly colourful artwork, which he posted on Instagram under the name RANE. He produced bags, shoes and jackets featuring designs of his work too.
On the RANE Instagram page, the biography reads: "I started painting my problems which became my solution."
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Meanwhile, the actor's sister is known for starring in shows such as Nashville and Heroes - and in the Scream slasher franchise.
They posed together for an Instagram photo in recent weeks, with Jansen Panettiere writing: "Not the first haircut she's tried to give me."
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Producers at Valhalla Entertainment paid tribute to the actor in a recent tweet, that said: "You might remember Jansen as 'Casper' in 'The Calm Before' in Season 9 of #TheWalkingDead.
"He will be deeply missed. The whole #TWDFamily is thinking about the Panettiere family right now."
Tributes have poured in on the late actor's final Instagram post.
Actress Selma Blair said: "Fly with the angels."
While another user said: "Rest in peace. Your work was beautiful. May you continue painting in peace up there."
