Jansen Panettiere, The Walking Dead Actor, Dead at 28

Jansen Panettiere, an actor known for his work on The Walking Dead and Ice Age: The Meltdown, has passed away at the age of 28. The news was confirmed to CNN via a statement from Kasey Kitchen, a representative for his sister, Heroes and Scream actress Hayden Panettiere. The cause of death is currently unknown at this time, but he did reportedly pass away on Sunday, February 19th. 

"You might remember Jansen as 'Casper' in 'The Calm Before' in Season 9 of #TheWalkingDead," a tweet from The Walking Dead production company Valhalla Entertainment reads. "He will be deeply missed. The whole #TWDFamily is thinking about the Panettiere family right now."

Panettiere was born on September 25, 1994 in Palisades, New York. His first onscreen role was in an episode of 2002's Even Stevens, followed by voice stints on Blue's Clues, Racing Stripes, Robots, and the Holly Hobbie franchise. He then voiced "Shovelmouth Boy" in 2006's Ice Age: The Meltdown, followed by a stint as Truman X on the animated Nickelodeon series The X's, alongside Patrick Warburton and Wendie Malick.

He acted alongside his sister in three productions — Racing Stripes, the Disney Channel original movie Tiger Cruise, and the 2011 movie The Forger. 

"She gets me a little more noticed; she gets me in magazines," Jansen said of Hayden in an interview with TV Fanatic in 2007. "She gives me a kick-start. With The Last Day of Summer, they will notice me more because she is my sister. It is almost like you are looking in a book, and the bookmark is my sister and she is basically showing me, she is able to push me out there. She helps me tremendously."

Panettiere joined The Walking Dead in 2019 as Casper, a resident of the Hilltop Colony who ultimately gets killed by Alpha (Samantha Morton) and the Whisperers. His zombie form is later killed by Yumiko Okumura (Eleanor Matsuura). 

In addition to The Walking Dead, his later filmography included Summer Forever, How High 2, and Bart Bagalzby and the Garbage Genie. His final onscreen role was in 2022's Love and Love Not. He also worked as an artist.

"After spending time in LA as an adult he was ridden with terrible anxiety and depression; this period in his life eventually produced a spiritual clarity that drove him to start painting his problems, one by one," the official bio on his website reads. "With more than 50 pieces, Jansen continues to heal himself as well as others with his visceral and emotive work."

Our thoughts are with Panettiere's family, friends, and fans at this time.