Aaron Carter, the singer-actor who quickly became a teen craze in the early 2000s and who was known for his hit song “I Want Candy,” was found dead Saturday in New York City. home in Southern California. He is 34 years old.
Taylor Helgeson, a representative for Big Umbrella, an entertainment management company, confirmed Carter’s death but declined to comment on the cause.
According to Deputy Alejandra Parra, a spokeswoman for the sheriff’s department, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department responded to a call at Carter’s home in Lancaster, California, on Saturday and found a person dead there. Officials said they have yet to confirm it was Mr. Carter.
Nick Carter, the singer’s brother and member of the Backstreet Boys, said in an emailed statement by his agent.
He added: “Addiction and mental illness are the real villains here. I will miss my brother more than anyone has ever known.”
Aaron Carter, who released his first album at the age of 9 and the hit album “Aaron’s Party (Come Get It)” at the age of 12, has become a fixture of teen shows and magazines and appeared on shows like “Lizzie McGuire.”
“Aaron’s Party” peaks at #4 on the Billboard 200, selling some three million copies. He has released five studio albums and was a contestant on the show “Dancing With the Stars.”
His career then stalled, and in recent years he has been entangled in legal troubles and talks about his struggles with addiction. In 2018, he released his first album in 15 years, “Love”, to garner warm reviews.
At the age of 9, he opened for the Backstreet Boys in Berlin making his first solo appearance.
The performance led to a record deal and then the release of his first single, “Crush on You”. He also opened for Britney Spears.
Mr. Carter is also an actor, guest starring on shows like “Sabrina the Teenage Witch” and “7th Heaven”. He has also performed on Broadway, appearing in “Seussical,” the Dr. Seuss-themed musical, and “The Fantasticks,” the longest running musical in the world.
On his sophomore album, Mr. Carter also released the song “That’s how I beat Shaq,” with a music video featuring basketball player Shaquille O’Neal, who said that Mr. Carter once beat him in a game of HORSE and then asked if he could make a song about it.
In 2019, Mr. Carter’s brother, Nick, and sister, Angel, said they had filed a restraining order against him. In a statement at the time, Nick Carter said his brother had confessed to having violent thoughts about his wife and family members “having no choice but to take every measure possible.” able to protect ourselves and our families.”
Aaron Carter at that time denied the allegations. News of the ban came a day after he canceled his 2019 tour, follow E! Newssays he needs to put “his health first”.
Mr. Carter has been open over the years about his mental health struggles. He said People’s Magazine 2018 that he felt he had “hit the bottom of a personal and emotional abyss,” and that he had sought treatment in a health care facility.
Mr. Carter, who appeared on the November 2 episode of the podcast “No Jumper”, says he’s focused on selling real estate and that he’s been “sober” for five years, though he says he occasionally smokes marijuana and has been prescribed anti-anxiety medication. (“Cali sober,” short for “California sober,” is loosely understood to mean avoiding addictive substances other than marijuana and alcohol.)
Adam Grandmaison, the host of the YouTube podcast, said that a close friend of Mr. Carter told him about his death.
“I just interviewed him a few weeks ago and he’s clearly not in a great place,” Mr. Grandmaison wrote on Twitter. “He’s a good guy despite all the demons he’s fighting. I am very sad to see him gone.”
During the interview, Mr. Carter said he considers himself a rapper, a singer, a producer, an artist and an actor, and that he is particularly proud of his most recent album. He also said he hopes to make a new movie soon.
“I cover all the bases,” he said. “It means a lot more to me than what I did growing up because I wrote and produced it all.”
Mr Carter said he “will never give up” making music and that despite the ups and downs, he is still enjoying his career. He also vowed to regain custody of his son, who Page Six reported temporarily placed in the care of Mr. Carter’s fiancé’s mother amid domestic violence and concerns about drug use.
Mr. Carter said: “I’m going to be 35 years old. “I’m a grown man and it’s time to start behaving that way and do the right thing and focus on myself, my career, my kids and family.”
