Tributes have been paid to Aaron Carter, the former child star who was found dead at his home in southern California at the age of 34 on Saturday.
Carter, brother of Backstreet Boys member Nick Carter, began performing at the age of seven and released his self-titled debut album in 1997 when he was nine. He had two UK top 10 hits with Crush On You and Crazy Little Party Girl.
His death is currently being investigated, according to his family, who asked for privacy until further information is available. “We cannot express the outpouring of love coming in,” a statement added.
According to Los Angeles county police, officers attended Carter’s residence in Lancaster, California, on Saturday and found him dead.
The late singer became a global phenomenon following his second album, Aaron’s Party (Come Get It), which was released in 2000, went triple platinum and featured the singles I Want Candy, Aaron’s Party (Come Get It) and That’s How I Beat Shaq.
Carter also supported the Backstreet Boys and Britney Spears before he transitioned to making rap music and shed his child star image with a number of face tattoos.
His acting career also included appearances on the Disney Channel series Lizzie McGuire and the Broadway musical Seussical, as well as stints on the reality TV programmes Dancing With the Stars and House of Carters.
But the singer had several run-ins with the authorities over drugs possession and reckless driving. He entered a rehab facility after an appearance on the US talkshow The Doctors, where he tested positive for prescription drugs, which he said he took for anxiety and to help him sleep.
Carter’s relationship with his siblings also became strained over the years, and in 2019 his brother Nick was granted a temporary restraining order against him over allegations he threatened to kill Nick’s pregnant wife.
Nick said the legal move came “in light of Aaron’s increasingly alarming behaviour” – allegations Carter said he was “astounded” by at the time. “I do not wish harm to anyone, especially my family,” he added.
Tributes to the late singer began to pour in over the weekend following the news of his death. Nick Carter shared several photographs of the brothers in their youth alongside a lengthy caption on Instagram.
“My heart has been broken today,” he said. “Even though my brother and I have had a complicated relationship, my love for him has never ever faded. I have always held on to 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. But the truth is that addiction and mental illness is the real villain here.”
Nick concluded the post by saying he’d “miss my brother more than anyone will ever know” and that Aaron would “get a chance to finally have some peace you could never find here on Earth … God, please take care of my baby brother”.
It's been 21 YEARS since the Aaron Carter episode of Lizzie McGuire aired pic.twitter.com/vaaTzQ7uQQ
— Lizzie McGuire (@ImLizzieM) November 3, 2022
Actor and singer Hilary Duff, who starred with Carter in Lizzie McGuire, said: “For Aaron – I’m deeply sorry that life was so hard for you and that you had to struggle in front of the whole world. You had a charm that was absolutely effervescent … boy did my teenage self love you deeply.”
Fellow 90s pop stars New Kids on the Block shared a black and white photo of Carter, writing: “We are shocked and saddened about the sudden passing of Aaron Carter. Sending prayers to the Carter family. Rest in peace, Aaron.”
Boyband NSync wrote: “We are saddened by the news of the sudden passing of Aaron Carter today. Our hearts go out to his family, friends and fans during this difficult time. Rest In Peace Aaron #gonetoosoon”.
Singer Diane Warren tweeted: “Fame at a young age is often more a curse than a blessing and surviving it is not easy. RIP Aaron Carter,” while comedian Loni Love recalled meeting Carter in 2018 and described him as “funny, talented and cool”. She added: “I felt that he was trying … he really was just trying to be happy.”
Disney Channel star Christy Carlson Romano said she was “incredibly sad” about the singer’s death, and actor Lou Diamond Phillips described Carter as a “sweet, good-hearted young man”.
We are shocked and saddened about the sudden passing of Aaron Carter. Sending prayers to the Carter family. Rest in peace, Aaron ❤️ pic.twitter.com/rDUcE4i8Iy
— New Kids on the Block (@NKOTB) November 5, 2022
In 2013, Carter filed a bankruptcy petition after it emerged that he was more than $2m (£1.8m) in debt, which was predominantly taxes owed to the US government. His fifth and final studio album, Love, was released in 2018, and the singer had his first child, Prince, with his fiancee, Melanie Martin, in 2021.
Following the announcement of Carter’s death, Martin issued a statement saying she was “still in the process of accepting this unfortunate reality”.
Earlier this year Carter told the Daily Mail he no longer wanted to be seen as a “train wreck”.
“I am not how some people try to paint me,” he said. “If somebody wants to call me a train wreck, well I’ve been a train that’s been wrecked multiple times and derailed by many different things.”
