Hayden opens up about brother Jansen’s ‘horrific’ death

American actress and singer Hayden Panettiere recently spoke about her younger brother Jansen’s unexpected death in 2023. She spoke about struggling with

agoraphobia

and how the

grief

took a toll on her body.
In a recent interview with People, Hayden Panettiere expressed that she will “never be able to get over” her brother Jansen Panettiere’s death. The actress expressed that in the days after learning that her only sibling had died at age 28 of an undiagnosed enlarged heart, her body started to swell up and she felt powerless to stop it.

Hayden Panettiere opened up about how she "ballooned out,” and gained 40-pound rapidly. She revealed that the weight gain made the following months worse, and she would barely step out of the house, and had to see "horrific" paparazzi pictures of her coming out of Jansen's funeral. She called it "shocking" as the funeral took place at a "very private place".
Panettiere further spoke about struggling with agoraphobia. The actress also opened up about how she is still learning how to live with the loss and how she has gained a new perspective following her brother’s death.

She said that she is still learning how to live with loss but explains the new perspective she gained following Jansen's death. She shared that after experiencing something so massive, she has learned to choose her battles and not let the small things bother her. She added that once a truly horrific and life-altering event occurs, there's not much that can really unsettle one.