Lesley Panettiere, Jansen Panettiere, Hayden Panettiere, and Skip Panettiere arrive at Nickelodeon’s 2008 Kids’ Choice Awards held at UCLA’s Pauley Pavilion on March 29, 2008, in Westwood, California. (Frank Micelotta / Getty Images for Nickelodeon)
By Joe Saunders August 18, 2026 at 10:12am
The death on Sunday of actress Hayden Panettiere came as a shock to the entertainment world and Panettiere’s millions of fans, but it hit hardest at home.
Her father, Alan “Skip” Panettiere, already knew all too well the grief of losing his offspring.
In fact, according to the New York Post, he was only now starting to recover from the death of a son only three years ago.
Jansen Panettiere, Hayden’s brother, died at the age of 28 of a heart condition in his New York City apartment.
Skip Panettiere’s neighbors in Piermont, New York, about 30 miles from New York City, said he was just recovering from that loss, the New York Post reported.
It “seemed like he was starting to come back from it,” a neighbor told the newspaper.
But then came the news that daughter Hayden had been pronounced dead in Greenville, South Carolina.
EMT recordings from the scene indicated an “overdose” was involved.
Actress Hayden Panettiere was confirmed dead on Monday, with authorities saying a preliminary investigation has not indicated any signs of foul play.
Excerpts of a 911 call showed dispatchers discussing an “overdose” as medics responded to an unresponsive woman at a South… pic.twitter.com/rwSPBjqgjg
— CBS News (@CBSNews) August 18, 2026
Hayden Panettiere, 36 at the time of her death, had been an actress since childhood, appearing on the soap operas “One Life to Live” and “Guiding Light,” according to IMDb. Amid other roles, she grew into a young woman who starred in TV series like “Nashville” and “Heroes.”
Jansen Panettiere was also an actor, though he never achieved the fame of his sister.
In a 2024 interview, she told People magazine about what his death meant to her.
“He was my only sibling, and it was my job to protect him,” she said. “When I lost him, I felt like I lost half of my soul.”
And it’s a loss that time would not heal, she said.
“I will always be heartbroken about it. I will never be able to get over it,” she told People. “No matter how many years go by, I will never get over his loss.”
Now, her father has witnessed the death of his second child — the daughter who spoke those words.
ACTRESS DIES: Panettiere’s father, Skip, confirmed the actor’s death in a statement on Sunday. “It is with profound sadness that we share the tragic passing of our beloved Hayden.”https://t.co/8WQpsbQY6p pic.twitter.com/9ehsAMx7eR
— Blaise Gomez (@BlaiseGomez12) August 17, 2026
“It is with profound sadness that we share the tragic passing of our beloved Hayden,” he said in a statement.
“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.”
Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. Advertise Today.
Joe has spent more than 30 years as a reporter, copy editor and metro desk editor in newsrooms in Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Florida. He’s been with Liftable Media since 2015.
Joe has spent more than 30 years as a reporter, copy editor and metro editor in newsrooms in Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Florida. He’s been with Liftable Media since 2015. Largely a product of Catholic schools, who discovered Ayn Rand in college, Joe is a lifelong newspaperman who learned enough about the trade to be skeptical of every word ever written. He was also lucky enough to have a job that didn’t need a printing press to do it.
Birthplace
Philadelphia
Nationality
American
