Aaron Carter memoir release delayed amid criticism from Hilary Duff and singer’s family

The release date of Aaron Carter’s posthumous, unfinished memoir has reportedly been pushed back, following criticism from the late singer’s friends and family.

Carter was found dead at his California home on 5 November 2022, aged 34.

The book, titled Aaron Carter: An Incomplete Story of an Incomplete Life, was written by journalist Andy Symonds and scheduled to be released on 15 November by Ballast Books.

Shortly after the release was announced, Hilary Duff criticised the move as a “heartless money grab”.

The Lizzie McGuire star and Carter dated for nearly two years, beginning in 2001 before breaking up in 2003.

In a statement to E!Online, Duff said: “It’s really sad that within a week of Aaron’s death, there’s a publisher that seems to be recklessly pushing a book out to capitalise on this tragedy without taking appropriate time or care to fact check the validity of his work.

“To water down Aaron’s life story to what seems to be unverified click-bait for profit is disgusting. In no way do I condone shedding any light on what is so obviously an uninformed, heartless, money grab.”

Carter’s management thanked Duff for her statement and requested that nothing be released “without approval from his family, friends, and associates”.

PageSix also reported that Carter had tried to stop his publisher from releasing the memoir, citing quotes from the star’s publicist.

Now, Ballast Books has reportedly “deferred” the release of Carter’s memoir “out of respect” for the singer’s family.

Representing Ballast Books and Symonds, attorney Scott Atherton told Metro: “Out of respect for the Carter family, my client has decided to defer the further release of the book at this time.

“Mr Carter was not just a celebrity but also a father, a brother, a son, and a friend to many still grieving for him,” he added.

Atherton also reportedly affirmed that Carter wanted his story to be told “with all its beauty and rawness”.

The Independent has reached out to Ballast Books and a representative for Carter for comment.

Shortly after Carter’s death, Ballast Books posted a picture of him with Symonds on its official Instagram page.

The caption, written by Symonds, read: “Aaron Carter was a kind, gentle, talented soul not without his demons. He was so excited about telling his story, and we worked many hours on his book. Sadly, we’ll never have a chance to finish it. I feel I owe it to him to release the parts we did complete during sporadic work over three-plus years.

“This photo was taken the day of our first interview, when I spent a good eight hours with him on his couch talking about everything from child stardom to Michael Jackson while he smoked weed nonstop.”

“Rest In Peace my dude,” he finished.

In an advance copy of the memoir, seen by The New York Post, Carter described for the first time how he stayed over at Michael Jackson’s home after a birthday party, only to wake up and find him at the end of his bed.