Pop singer and rapper Aaron Carter, the brother of Backstreet Boys singer Nick Carter, was found dead in the bathtub at his Los Angeles home on Saturday. He was 34.
According to The Hollywood Reporter (THR), a spokesperson for the Los Angeles Police Department confirmed “that a suspicious death took place at Carter’s address but could not confirm the identity.”
Carter got his start in show business by opening for the Backstreet Boys during the group’s 1997 tour. His debut album, self-titled Aaron Carter, reached gold status and catapulted him to fame alongside his brother, Nick, in the following year. He reached the pinnacle of success in the early 2000s with his album Aaron’s Party (Come and Get It). Per THR:
His follow-up album, Aaron’s Party (Come and Get It), was released in September 2000 and went triple platinum. It featured the singles “I Want Candy,” “Aaron’s Party (Come Get It)” and “That’s How I Beat Shaq,” and he supported the album as an opening act for Backstreet Boys and Britney Spears on the Oops!… I Did It Again Tour.
Carter dabbled in acting, appearing on shows including Lizzie McGuire and making his Broadway debut in 2001 as JoJo the Who in Seussical the Musical.
He starred alongside Nick and their siblings B.J., Aaron, Leslie and Angel Carter on the E! unscripted series House of Carters in 2006. Leslie died of a drug overdose in January 2012 at the age of 25.
Carter has struggled with drug addiction for years and has been in and out of rehab multiple times as he struggled to regain custody of his son, Prince. In 2017, he entered rehab again after he had been arrested for suspicion of driving under the influence.
Nick Carter, who has since been touring with the Backstreet Boys, has not yet issued a statement on his brother’s death.