What happened to Aaron Carter, brother of Backstreet boys singer?

On Saturday night Aaron Carter’s representatives announced that the singer and brother of Backstreet Boys member Nick Carter died aged 34.

The US musician was a well-known performer in the late 1990s and early 2000s as he opened for the popular US boy band on numerous tours and concerts, as well as launching a successful solo career.

But the young man who seemed primed for superstardom would end up leading a troubled life with numerous brushes with the law and problems with substance abuse.

Who was Aaron Carter?

Carter was born on 7 December, 1987, in Florida to parents, Jane Elizabeth and Robert Gene Carter who ran a retirement home.

His older brother Nick was a member of the Backstreet Boys and he also had three sisters, twin sister Angel, BJ and Leslie.

His first musical project was as the lead singer of the band Dead End, which he left in 1997, and then released his self-titled debut album in the same year.

The album’s success thrust him into the spotlight as he churned out hits such as “Crush on You”, “That’s How I Beat Shaq” and “Aaron’s Party (Come Get It)”.

His musical success opened doors to other opportunities as he became a regular on kids’ television channel Nickelodeon and would later feature in Disney’s Lizzie Maguire.

Carter’s popularity began to wane post-2005 and became increasingly locked in family feuds and problems with the law.

In 2009, he appeared on the ABC competition show “Dancing with the Stars,” finishing in fifth place with partner Karina Smirnoff. He was featured on the Food Network cooking show “Rachel vs. Guy: Celebrity Cook-Off” in 2012.

In later years he made the move to rap music, throwing off his child star image with a number of face tattoos. His fifth and final studio album, “LOVE,” was released in 2018.

Problems with the authorities and health issues

Carter had numerous run-ins with the police over the years. He was first pulled over by officers in Kimble County Texas in 2008, who then found marijuana in his car. He was arrested also arrested in July 2017 on suspicion of driving under the influence.

Carter wrestled with addiction issues for years, sometimes sharing them publicly. He went to drug rehabilitation centers on multiple occasions, most recently earlier this year, in an effort to regain custody of his son, Prince, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

In a 2019 appearance on the celebrity wellness TV show “The Doctors,” he held up a bag full of prescription drugs that he said he took after being diagnosed with multiple personality disorder, schizophrenia, manic depression and anxiety.

Carter’s relationships

His relationship with his siblings was strained over the years and in 2019 his brother Nick filed a restraining order against him, alleging he threatened to kill his pregnant wife and unborn child.

Carter acknowledged the restraining order on Twitter at the time but denied the allegations of threatening behaviour.

Nick tweeted at the time: “In light of Aaron’s increasingly alarming behavior and his recent confession that he harbors thoughts and intentions of killing my pregnant wife and unborn child, we were left with no choice but to take every measure possible to protect ourselves and our family.

“We love our brother and truly hope he gets the proper treatment he needs before any harm comes to himself or anyone else.”

In September 2019 Carter accused his sister Leslie, who died of a drug overdose in 2012, of sexually abusing him between the ages of 10 and 13. He said these abuses occurred when she would not take her medication for bipolar disorder.

Carter came out as a bisexual in August 2017. The singer welcomed his first child Prince with Melanie Martin in 2021.

Additional reporting by agencies