From child star to beyond. Aaron Carter had dealt with his fair share of ups and downs through the years.
“I learned there’s a very valuable lesson in growing up as a young star and then being about to come out on the other side,” the “I Want Candy” singer exclusively told Us Weekly in April 2017 of when he started performing at the age of 7. “People lose their way, but I figured out a bit of a formula. It’s hard work, dedication, listening to people, and having an open mind and being open to learning — being humble is important. When you start off so young, you lose sight of what’s reality and it becomes your normality.”
The Florida native rose to fame in the early 2000s, serving as the opening act for older brother Nick Carter’s The Backstreet Boys band. Aaron soon became a musical hit of his own, releasing singles “Oh, Aaron,” “Not Too Young, Not Too Old” and “That’s How I Beat Shaq.” After multiple smash records, the Dancing With the Stars alum ultimately took a 15-year hiatus from releasing albums.
As the late House of Carter alum grew up, he struggled with alcohol and drug addiction, as well as mental health challenges.
“I thought I would die by 30,” Aaron recalled to Us in December 2017, shortly after his 30th birthday. “Even when I was 13, 14, I thought, ‘Oh, my God. I’m going to die.’ Life was pretty tough. I dealt with a lot of trauma, a lot of loss, a lot of loneliness. I just felt like I needed to get away.”
As Aaron remained focused on his sobriety, he went on to welcome his first child, son Prince, in November 2021 with then-fiancée Melanie Martin.
“It’s all a beautiful blessing because I’ve had a lot of relationships and I started [to] kind of [give] up on love. I was talking about having a family years ago,” Aaron — who split from Martin in February 2022 — told Us one month after Prince’s arrival. “I [wanted] to be at home and enjoy the love of my life and my child. Now that it’s here, it’s like an epiphany. Every minute now has become so precious and every bit of time that slips by now … I’ve [really] switched my gears of thinking. I’ve given a lot of people second and third chances, as you can see with us and the stuff that we’ve gone through.”
Us confirmed in November 2022 that Aaron had died at the age of 34 when he was found unresponsive in his California home.
“My baby. I can’t breathe,” Martin captioned an Instagram Story tribute at the time.
Scroll below to revisit Aaron’s ups and downs ahead of his death:
Aaron was the youngest child of Robert and Jane Carter. Robert, who died in 2017, and Jane also shared Nick, Leslie and Angel. (Leslie died in January 2012 after a fatal drug overdose.) Shutterstock
After opening for Nick’s band on tour, Aaron released his self-titled debut album in December 1997. His sophomore record, Aaron’s Party, was released three years later. Shutterstock
As Aaron’s star continued to rise, he made a brief cameo on Disney Channel’s Lizzie McGuire as himself. In the episode, Lizzie (Hilary Duff) and her friends served as backup dancers for Aaron’s holiday-centric “I Want Candy” music video. Disney/YouTube
The “Lately” performer was arrested for driving under the influence and possession of marijuana in July 2017. After his release from police custody, he checked into rehab that September. “I was detoxing from basically weed, stuff like that, Xanax and stuff like that. They were detoxing me, but there was also a psychiatrist, and a therapist that I worked with almost daily, and they’re the ones who put me on the kind of medications that I need to be on,” he told Us in December. “I’ll say here right in front of all y’all, I’m not ashamed of it. I have issues. I have post traumatic stress disorder. I never wanted my parents to divorce. I never wanted my dad to die. I never wanted my sister to die at 27. It’s really hard because after my parents divorced I was like, man … Everything just spiraled out of control.” AP/Shutterstock
As the former child star celebrated his 30th birthday, he admitted to Us that he used to think he would “die by [the age of] 30.” He added: “I dealt with a lot of trauma, a lot of loss, a lot of loneliness. I just felt like I needed to get away. I’ve been burnt. My goal is to be the phoenix that rises from the ashes.” Sara Jaye Weiss/Shutterstock
“The official diagnosis is that I suffer from multiple personality disorder, schizophrenia, acute anxiety and manic depression,” Aaron opened up about his mental health struggles during an appearance on The Doctors. “I’m prescribed to Xanax, Seroquel, Gabapentin, Hydroxyzine, Trazodone, Omeprazen. This is my reality. I have nothing to hide.” Suzanne Cordeiro/Shutterstock
The Backstreet Boys crooner filed a restraining order against Aaron after the late performer’s alleged disturbing confessions about Nick’s wife, Lauren Kitt. "In light of Aaron’s increasingly alarming behavior and his recent confessions 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,” Nick tweeted at the time, on behalf of himself and sister Angel. “We love our brother and truly hope he gets the proper treatment he needs before any harm comes to himself or anyone else.” Aaron denied his brother’s allegations, claiming in his own social media message that his sibling had not been in touch in four years. Shutterstock (2)
Aaron was first linked to Martin in January 2020, dating on and off before getting engaged in June. “Love wins,” he captioned an Instagram snap of the model’s diamond ring. MediaPunch/Shutterstock
The “Aaron’s Party” artist and Martin welcomed their first child, son Prince, on November 22. Courtesy of Aaron Carter/Instagram
As the former couple remained committed to raising their son, their rocky relationship fizzled for good in February. “My relationship has come to a point where we have to part ways. Please respect my privacy at this time. Thank you,” he tweeted at the time. “I’m too scarred [to start dating again] and I can’t trust any woman. So I’m going to protect my soul and my heart at this time.” KWKC/MEGA
Nearly nine months after Aaron and Martin’s breakup, Us confirmed that the “Crush On You” crooner had died. Arlene Richie/Shutterstock
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