Aaron Carter, the pop singer who released his self-titled 1997 debut album at the age of nine and was the brother to Backstreet Boys‘ member Nick Carter, died Saturday. He was 34 years old.
Carter’s death was confirmed by Taylor Helgeson, his representative at Big Umbrella Management. A statement from Carter’s family and management is forthcoming.
Alejandra Parra, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputy, confirmed that officers were responding to a 10:58 a.m. call regarding a suspicious death at Carter’s residence in the 42000 block of Valley Vista Drive. Parra said “a deceased person” was found at the home, but the identity had not been /confirm/ied. Investigators remain on site.
Carter got his start in music by landing a record contract after serving as the opener for the Backstreet Boys in 1997. His debut studio album, featuring the hit track “Crush on You,” went gold in December 1997, launching him into the spotlight at a young age.
Carter’s second album, “Aaron’s Party (Come and Get It),” was released in 2000. Featuring hit tracks like “That’s How I Beat Shaq” and “I Want Candy,” the album went triple-platinum, leading the teenage Carter to serve as the opening act on tours by Britney Spears and the Backstreet Boys. The star also made appearances on Nickelodeon and Disney Channel programs, such as “Lizzie McGuire” and “All That!”
Two more albums followed: “Oh Aaron” in 2001 and “Another Earthquake!” in 2002. Carter also starred alongside his siblings in the short-lived reality series “House of Carters” on E! and starred as Jojo in the Broadway production of “Seussical the Musical.”
Carter later appeared as a contestant on Season 9 of “Dancing With the Stars.” He returned to music in 2016 with his single “Fool’s Gold” before releasing his fifth album, “Love,” in 2018.
Carter had become an embattled figure in recent years, revealing that he had been diagnosed with multiple mental health issues in an Entertainment Tonight interview in 2019 regarding a DUI arrest. Weeks later, his brother, Nick, obtained a restraining order against him.
In September, Carter enrolled in rehab for a fifth time in hopes to regain custody of his then-10-month-old son, Prince. He and his ex-fiancée, Melanie Martin, lost custody due to domestic violence and drug concerns.
“I decided to enroll myself into that program. This will be my fifth time in rehabilitation, mainly to take care of aftercare,” he said at the time. “There’s been no relapses. I haven’t had any relapses … it’s just triggers are big right now for me. You know, so, I just, I want my son back.”
Born Dec. 7, 1987 in Tampa, Fla., Carter grew up alongside his older brother, Nick, as well as three sisters, Angel, B.J. and Leslie.
Carter is survived by his son, Prince.
