Hayden Panettiere Recalled 'Not Wanting to Live in a World' Without Her Late Brother in Emotional Interview Months Before Her Death at 36
Hayden Panettiere spoke emotionally about the devastating loss of her younger brother, Jansen Panettiere.
Aug. 17 2026, Published 11:00 a.m. ET
Hayden Panettiere opened up about the devastating loss of her younger brother, Jansen, just months before her own tragic death at 36, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
The actress, who described her sibling as her "other half" and "best friend," spoke candidly about the grief she carried with her three years after his death.
'Yin to My Yang'
Hayden Panettiere recalled Jansen Panettiere as her 'other half' during an emotional interview months before her death.
Jansen died at 28 in 2023 after suffering complications involving an enlarged heart. The former child actor had also reportedly struggled with his mental health and addiction.
During a May interview with Jay Shetty, Hayden became emotional while describing the special bond she shared with her younger brother.
"There's nothing in my life that feels like losing my other half. He was born to be the yin to my yang," she said.
"We were so close, and especially being the older sibling, it's your job to protect them and keep them safe, and not being able to is... I mean, heartbreaking doesn't even begin to cover it," Hayden added.
The actress said the loss was difficult to put into words.
"I would need a dictionary to go through all the words for all the feelings that you go through in your mind," she continued.
Jansen was found dead inside his apartment in Nyack, New York, in February 2023, reportedly "sitting upright in a chair unresponsive."
Hayden Panettiere admitted she still struggled with the loss of her 'best friend' Jansen Panettiere three years after his death.
Hayden Panettiere Said Her Grief Changed Over Time
Hayden Panettiere said her grief over Jansen Panettiere had changed with each passing year.
Although several years had passed since Jansen's death, Hayden explained that the pain had continued to evolve rather than disappear.
"I know time is the best healer, but it's been three years, and every year the heartbreak has changed. But losing him and realizing how much of life I was going to have to go through alone and without him, where I always saw him as being there," she detailed.
She also admitted she still had moments when she wanted to contact her brother.
"There's been so many times I want to call him all the time. He was my best friend, and when he first died I remember screaming, 'I don't want to live in a world where he doesn't exist,'" Hayden told Jay.
The actress said Jansen's absence was something she expected to carry with her permanently.
"That's something I don't think I'll ever get over. I feel him with me. I know that he's protecting me from where he is and was needed elsewhere, but I wish he could be sent back to me," the actress explained.
Hayden Panettiere Also Spoke About Her Own Struggles
Hayden Panettiere also recently opened up about her struggles with addiction, motherhood, and mental health.
The conversation came as Hayden was reflecting publicly on some of the most difficult chapters of her life.
In her memoir, This is Me: A Reckoning, the actress detailed her experiences with addiction, motherhood, and mental health.
She previously revealed that she began taking "happy pills" at 15 because she wanted to appear more "peppy" during interviews.
Her struggles with addiction later intensified after the birth of her daughter, Kaya, in 2014, when she was also dealing with postpartum depression.
Hayden previously said she had been sober in recent years and described recovery as an ongoing process.
"It's an everyday battle," she said in a 2022 interview.
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'Incredible Light'
Hayden Panettiere died on August 16 at 36 years old.
Hayden's death on August 16 was confirmed by her reps in a statement to ABC, "It is with profound sadness that we share the tragic passing of our beloved Hayden.
"She was an incredible light and a force of nature who brought immeasurable love and joy to all who knew her — and to the millions who watched her onscreen."
