Former child star Aaron Carter has died. He was 34.
The “I Want Candy” singer was found dead at his California residence on Saturday, November 5, according to multiple reports. A 911 call was made at 11 a.m. local time, according to reports from TMZ and The Hollywood Reporter.
The Florida native, who is the younger brother of the Backstreet Boys’ Nick Carter, rose to fame in 2000 as a child singer and rapper. His hits included “Oh, Aaron,” “Not Too Young, Not Too Old” and “That’s How I Beat Shaq.”
Aaron is survived by his siblings, including his older brother, 42, as well as son Prince, 11 months. The late House of Carter alum welcomed his baby boy with ex-fiancée Melanie Martin in November 2021. The twosome dated on and off until their most recent split in February.
“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 exclusively told Us Weekly in December 2021 of becoming a first-time father. “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.”
He added: “The person that I am today — I want to be a better version of [the person] I was the day prior to that. So tomorrow, I want to be a better version of myself than I was the day before that. So that’s really what I’m striving for and really just peace and serenity and exercising those things more. And really holding my own self accountable for my shortcomings,” he continued. “You can use your willpower to make the difference with yourself. You gotta be able to recognize how you look, how you feel, and you gotta know that your body is a temple and you need to cherish it and take care of it.”
In addition to fatherhood, the Dancing With the Stars alum remained focused on his music career. He has released four studio albums over the years. His most recent single, “Lately,” dropped on Friday, November 4, alongside Mic Garcia.
Amid his career in the spotlight, Aaron had also been candid about his mental health challenges.
“The official diagnosis is that I suffer from multiple personality disorder, schizophrenia, acute anxiety and manic depression,” the late rapper said during a September 2019 interview on The Doctors. “I’m prescribed to Xanax, Seroquel, Gabapentin, Hydroxyzine, Trazodone, Omeprazen. This is my reality. I have nothing to hide.”
