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Former child actor Jansen Panettiere dies at 28

Jansen Panettiere (seen in 2007) had several notable child roles in television and film. His actress sister Hayden Panettiere's spokesperson confirmed he died at 28 this past weekend. File Photo by Laura/Cavanaugh/UPI Photo
Jansen Panettiere (seen in 2007) had several notable child roles in television and film. His actress sister Hayden Panettiere's spokesperson confirmed he died at 28 this past weekend. File Photo by Laura/Cavanaugh/UPI Photo | License Photo

Feb. 20 (UPI) -- Actor Jansen Panettiere, brother of actress Hayden Panettiere, has died at 28 years old.

A representative for Hayden Panettiere confirmed the death of her brother with ABC News on Monday. PEOPLE reports that the actor was in New York City when he died over the weekend.

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During his nearly 20-year acting career, Panettiere appeared on television and film. One of his first roles was in the hit Disney Channel show Even Stevens. He also appeared in Everybody Hates Chris, Third Watch, and Tiger Cruise, which starred his sister.

Panettiere's biggest role was as the lead of the Nickelodeon TV movie The Last Day of Summer.

As his career progressed, Panettiere took on more roles in animation. He voiced characters in Blues Clues, Ice Age: The Meltdown and 2005's Robots.

Panettiere's most recent role was in the AMC hit show The Walking Dead. He played Casper in the 2019 episode "The Calm Before."

According to ABC News, Panettiere's cause of death is under investigation. He is survived by his sister and his parents Lesley R. Vogel and Alan Lee Panettiere.

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Lee Sun-kyun arrives at a photocall for "Parasite" during the Cannes International Film Festival in Cannes, France, on May 22, 2019. The South Korean actor died at the age of 48 on December 27. Photo by David Silpa/UPI | License Photo

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