Nick Carter of the Backstreet Boys is talking about the death of his brother Aaron Carter, who was found dead Saturday at his Southern California home.
“My heart is broken today,” Nick, 42, began in a tribute shared to Instagram on Sunday. “Despite my complicated relationship with my brother, my love for him has never faded.”
Aaron died at the age of 34.
In 2019, Nick filed a restraining order against his brother.
“We have no choice but to take every possible measure to protect ourselves,” he said on twitter“We love our brother and sincerely hope he gets the proper treatment he needs before doing any harm to himself or anyone else.”
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The Backstreet Boys singer wrote that he “has always held out hope that (Aaron) will one day want to take a healthy path and finally find the help he desperately needs.”
“Sometimes we want to blame someone or something for the loss. But the truth is, addiction and mental illness are the real villains here,” Nick continued.
He concluded: “I’m going to miss my brother more than anyone knows. I love you, Chiz. Now you finally have a chance to find some peace you’ll never find on earth… God, please take care of me little brother.”
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Deputies responded after reports of a medical emergency at the Lancaster home around 11 a.m. Saturday, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputy Chief Alejandra Parra said.
Backstreet Boys pay tribute to Aaron Carter, brother Nick in tears
The Backstreet Boys paid tribute to Aaron during their Sunday Night show at London’s O2 Arena. in videos shared on social mediaBackstreet Boys member Kevin Richardson dedicated his 2019 single “No Place” to Aaron, explaining that the song was “very special to us because it was about family”.
“Everyone here, we all grew up together,” he told the crowd.
Nick was clearly emotional and tried to hold back tears as the audience shouted “We love you Nick”. The rest of the band is seen taking turns hugging him.
Richardson continued: “We’ve had our highs and lows, our ups and downs – we thank you for being with the Backstreet family for 29 years and for all the love.” “Our hearts are a little heavy tonight because we lost a man yesterday. A family member. We just wanted to find a moment on the show to get to know him.”
In another video of the concert shared on Twitter, Aaron’s picture is projected on a giant screen in mourning.
Aaron Carter’s twin sister Angel remembers her ‘sweet’ brother
Aaron’s twin sister Angel also paid her heartfelt tribute to her late brother on Instagram on Saturday.
“To my twins…I love you immeasurably,” Angel, 34, wrote alongside a series of childhood photos of the couple. “You’ll miss it so much.”
She continued: “My funny, lovely Aaron, I have so many memories of you and me, and I promise to cherish them. I know you are at peace now.”
“I’ll take you with me until the day I die and see you again,” Angel concluded.
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Game remembers Aaron Carter as ‘very nice guy’, recalls flying together
Rapper The Game retweeted a throwback photo of Nick in an Instagram tribute on Sunday and shared an anecdote of his first encounter with Aaron on a flight in 2005.
“Your words to your brother are as honest and pure as they touched me this morning, so I want to write you back and share a short story with the world that is a true testament to Aaron’s character and heart,” the game begins with him title.
“I boarded a flight to New York with my now 19-year-old son (and) his mom to go to ‘106 & Park,’ and we were in first class, so we thought,” recalls The Game. “It turned out they were fully booked (and) we had one less seat (and Aaron) sat across from the island (and) said ‘hey, you guys have little ones…you can play in my seat.'”
The rapper said Aaron gave up his first-class seat and he “felt bad,” so he sat with him on the coach and they ended up chatting for nearly six hours.
“I remember thinking how cool it would be to talk to someone I’ve watched a million times on MTV and my little sister loves him because I just became a star so it’s awesome,” The Game wrote road. “We got to know each other very well on that flight, exchanged partner numbers (and) always hugged when we met over the years.”
“He’s excited … (and) a very nice guy,” he concluded. “Rest in peace Aaron, fly up boy.”
Aaron Carter rose to fame in the early 2000s with “Aaron’s Party (Come Get It)”
Aaron opened as Britney Spears and his brother’s boy band and appeared on E!’s family reality show “The Carter House.” 2006 Entertainment Television.
His second album, “Aaron’s Party (Come Get It),” released in 2000, went triple-platinum and included the title track and hit singles such as “I Want Candy.” His videos are featured regularly on Disney and Nickelodeon.
His fifth and final studio album, LOVE, was released in 2018.
Aaron has battled substance abuse issues for years, entering rehab in 2017 after DUI and drug possession arrests.
“I’m going to disappear for a while to exercise myself,” he wrote at the time. “To be strong. And to work in my stressful conditions and get better.”
In 2019, he apologetically canceled a series of tour dates, saying he put his well-being first.
“I have to put my health first and I hope you all understand how much time I need to heal and recharge,” he wrote. “That’s what I need to do to get some peace.”
In September 2022, Aaron revealed that he had voluntarily entered rehab in hopes of regaining custody of his son Prince.
Contributors: Andrea Mandell, Maeve McDermott and Kim Willis, USA TODAY and The Associated Press
