UPDATE 4/18/2023 5:51 PM EST: Aaron Carter’s cause of death was revealed by an autopsy report obtained by Page Six on Apr. 18, 2023. The late musician’s accidental drowning was also associated with the effects of difluoroethane (a propellant used in cans of compressed air) and alprazolam (generic Xanax), per the outlet. He became “incapacitated while in the bathtub due to the effects” of the drugs, which led to his drowning, according to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s report.
ORIGINAL STORY: Aaron Carter has died at just 34 years old. The younger brother of Nick Carter — who was a popular teen singer in his own right — was found dead at his Lancaster, California home on Saturday, Nov. 5, his rep confirmed to HollywoodLife. The news was originally reported by TMZ, who cited law enforcement sources informed them a 911 call was made around 11 a.m. “He was found unresponsive this morning by his [fiancée] Melanie Martin at the home in Lancaster, California. Everyone is so devastated right now,” the rep told us. His home is currently surrounded by caution tape as Sheriffs and paramedics can be seen outside.
Aaron is survived by his mom Jane Elizabeth Carter, brother Nick, 41, twin sister Angel, also 34, sister Bobbie Jean, 40, Virginia Marie Carter, 50, and half brother Kaden, 17, and his son Prince, who turns one later this month, with Melanie Martin. His sister Leslie passed away in 2006 at the age of 25, with the cause of death being an overdose. His father Robert Gene Carter died in 2017 after a heart attack at the age of 65.
The Tampa, Florida native began his career at just nine years old fresh off of big brother Nick’s success with the Backstreet Boys. Aaron dropped his self-titled debut in 1997, which lead to him joining Backstreet Boys on tour the following year. He then followed up with Aaron’s Party (Come & Get It) in 2000. As a teen he also had two high profile romances with Hilary Duff and Lindsay Lohan. He continued a career in entertainment as an adult with appearances in Broadway’s Seussical and also competing on Dancing With The Stars.
Aaron had been open about his struggles with addiction and specifically pill abuse and “huffing,” discussing the topic on The Doctors back in 2019. “It’s something that I’ve kept secret from the whole world until now,” he said to the hosts. Huffing is the act of inhaling fumes from things like household cleaning products, glue or paint. “Started when I was about 16,” he said, revealing his late sister Leslie introduced him to it. “[I] didn’t really touch it until I was about 23, right after I did Dancing with the Stars. And I started going to Staples and Office Depot, and different places, buying it with cash so it wouldn’t be reported on receipts or anything like that, so no one could trace me… was huffing because I’m a drug addict,” he also said.
Aaron’s relationship with on-again, off-again fiancée Melanie has also been tumultuous in recent years, with Aaron at one point claiming he was “trapped” in his home after she would not leave following a break-up. She also accused Aaron of breaking three of her ribs in a domestic abuse allegation, while Aaron also alleged domestic violence with a restraining order filing in February.
The 2 Good 2 B True singer sought professional help for rehab in 2017, and went back almost immediately due to a relapse. He’s been to rehab three additional times, including most recently in Sept. 2022 in an effort to regain custody of his son who is 11 months old. “It’s an abstinence program and I work with an individual counselor,” he said of the outpatient program to The Sun during a grocery store outing with fiancée Melanie. “I do group therapy, parenting classes, domestic violence classes. I got myself certified in CPR, just a lot of different things,” he said.
Beyond his addictions, Aaron also struggled with his mental health and took medications for his multiple personality disorder, schizophrenia and acute anxiety.