The Heartbreaking Death Of Aaron Carter
Former teen star Aaron Carter has died at the age of 34. Saturday afternoon, TMZ reported that the singer and rapper was found dead at his home in Lancaster, CA. Police were called to Carter's home after it was revealed he "had drowned in the tub." At this time, no cause of death has been revealed.
Carter found fame early in life, after opening up for his older brother, Nick Carter of the Backstreet Boys, according to Variety. From there, the singer-turned-rapper released his second studio album, "Aaron's Party (Come Get It)." With hit singles like "That's How I Beat Shaq," Carter then went on to make guest appearances in shows like "Lizzie McGuire" and "Sabrina the Teenage Witch." He even dated teen celebs like Lindsay Lohan and Hilary Duff, which was reportedly the reason for Lohan and Duff's tumultuous relationship.
While he found success as a child, Carter struggled a lot in adulthood. According to the Daily Mail, Carter revealed that he was seen as a "train wreck" following a drug addiction, but also admitted to be five years sober in August. "I am not how some people try to paint me. If somebody wants to call me a train wreck, well I've been a train that's been wrecked multiple times and derailed by many different things," Carter said, "But I rebuild, get on the tracks and keep going."
Aaron Carter recently checked himself into rehab for his son
After sharing that he was five years sober in August, drug abuse allegations seemed to haunt Aaron Carter again in September. After fans thought the singer was doing drugs on an Instagram Live, police were sent to Carter's home for a welfare check (via TMZ). Then, just days prior to his death, Carter's on-again, off-again girlfriend, Melanie Martin, reportedly "called the police" on him for driving while under the influence (via Daily Mail). The "That's How I Beat Shaq" singer was cleared of any charges after passing his sobriety test and later shared online, "It's a good day."
Carter and Martin had a very strained relationship, while also sharing a son, Prince, together. According to the Los Angeles Times, Carter voluntarily checked himself into a rehab facility in September in order to gain custody of his son, after custody was lost due to concerns over drugs and domestic abuse. "I decided to enroll myself into that program. This will be my fifth time in rehabilitation, mainly to take care of aftercare," Carter said at the time. "There's been no relapses. I haven't had any relapses ... it's just triggers are big right now for me. You know, so, I just, I want my son back." Carter had recently shared a video of himself putting together a car seat on Instagram, supposedly for his son, with the caption, "You live and you learn."