Nick Carter has broken his silence following the death of his younger brother Aaron.
The Backstreet Boys star, 42, has spoken out after the tragic news of his 34-year-old sibling's passing at his home in California.
Singer-turned-rapper Aaron, famous for tunes such as I Want Candy, was confirmed dead by his devastated team in a media statement.
"Right now it’s a really bad time we’re trying to figure out what happened and what the cause of it was," a representative from the singer’s team told the PA news agency.
"We’re just as upset as everyone and hope that fans can give thoughts and prayers to his family."
Nick wrote on Instagram: "My heart has been broken today. Even though my brother and I have had a complicated relationship, my love for him has never ever faded.
"I have always held onto the hope, that he would somehow, someday want to walk a healthy path and eventually find the help that he so desperately needed. Sometimes we want to blame someone or something for a loss."
He added: "But the truth is that addiction and mental illness is the real villain here. I will miss my brother more than anyone will ever know. I love you Chizz.
"Now you get a chance to finally have some peace you could never find here on earth. God, please take care of my baby brother."
Nick put on a brave face as he stepped onto the stage at the O2 in London tonight despite the tragic news. He is continuing his tour with the Backstreet Boys following the news of Aaron's death.
According to TMZ, Aaron's body was found in his bathtub and police 'received a 911 call at 11 AM Saturday that a male had drowned in the tub'.
The outlet reported that homicide detectives have been 'dispatched to the scene, but have no information or evidence of foul play'.
Aaron was launched into the spotlight after he opened for his brother's band during their 1997 tour.
He also supported Britney Spears when he was younger, and he got his first record deal when he was just nine. He later released his self-titled album Aaron Carter, which reached gold status.
He went on to release Aaron's Party (Come and Get It) in 2000 and that went triple platinum.
Aaron's last Instagram post was of his latest song that he collaborated on with Mic Garcia. In Garcia's latest Instagram story he is seen looking at his phone with a shocked expression.
"That's not real bro, that's not real," he repeated.
He continued: "That's not real, I was coming there tomorrow, that's not real. Oh my god please, this is not a f****** joke. What the f*** is going on?"
Aaron became a father in November last year. However, he and on-off girlfriend Melanie Martin split just two days after they welcomed their son Prince.
He has spoken openly about his battles with substance abuse and his mental health. He appeared on the show The Doctors, where he spoke about the pills he was taking.
In a social media live stream a few months ago, he said that he hadn't relapsed but was checking into a rehab to help him cope.
He said, "I haven't had any relapses or anything like that, it's just triggers are big right now for me [and] I want my son back,"
"The main reason why I enrolled into Lionrock Recovery outpatient is to help with the weed."
The Mirror has approached his representative for comment.
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