Tragic Details About The NSYNC Band Members Are So Sad

When the archivists of our future travel back from Mars to collect the artifacts of late '90s and early '00s life for their metaverse museums, something NSYNC-related will certainly be on display. Back then, the group — comprised of future superstar Justin Timberlake, everyman Chris Kirkpatrick, de facto hype man Joey Fatone, the shy Lance Bass, and unsung hero J.C. Chasez — was a pop powerhouse. Between forming in 1995 and disbanding seven years later (save for the occasional performance, like singing the national anthem and a song on the "Trolls" soundtrack), the group scored nine top-10 hits and held the record for first-week album sales until 2015. They're impressive achievements, not least when you consider that The Backstreet Boys were also in their imperial phase at the same time.

So, at the height of their fame, most of NSYNC thought they'd only be taking a brief hiatus in 2002. "Justin was going to start his solo album which we were super supportive of. I thought that was a great idea," said Lance Bass when speaking in the 2024 documentary "Larger Than Life: Reign of the Boybands" (via People). However, that so-called brief hiatus turned out to be longer than expected. "The label told us, 'Look, come back in six months,'" continued Bass. "[W]e were supposed to go right into the next album. And that just never happened."

So, let's take a look at the tragic details of these boy band members both pre- and post-NSYNC.

"I grew up really poor," said NSYNC's Chris Kirkpatrick in an interview with the Baltimore Media Blog in 2017. "My mom was a single mom with four kids, trying to make it. We were on welfare a lot." That's putting it lightly. According to band fan site Still NSYNC, even in his adolescence, the "Celebrity Big Brother" housemate had to help his family out financially by working on a farm and wasn't always sure when he'd eat his next meal.

Although Kirkpatrick's story could be spun as a quintessential example of the American dream and its "anyone can make it here" raison d'être, growing up poor can be very tough, often putting educational, developmental, and physical strains on families. That's in the short term, but there are also long-term issues to take into account. Indeed, according to a study from the National Center for Children in Poverty, adults who have grown up with little financially are likely to find themselves in the same position when they reach adulthood. Often, the American dream ends up being just that, a dream.

So, rather impressively, Kirkpatrick has used his success to help those growing up in similar conditions. After NSYNC went on hiatus, the "It's Gonna Be Me" songman started an eponymous foundation that helps underprivileged children both financially and academically.

"Growing up as a gay kid in the South was not easy," Lance Bass wrote for HuffPost in 2014. "The constant fear of people discovering who you really were and the inevitable shame that would fall upon you and your family dictated how you lived your life every day." Heck, NSYNC icon Bass even had a relationship with Danielle Fishel. But tragically, things didn't get much easier when he told the world.

In 2006, Bass came out as gay in an interview with People. "When NSYNC ended, it was a rocky time, because I came out of the closet," he recalled in a 2016 interview with Billboard. "The music industry is still very homophobic." Sadly, you only have to look at DaBaby's homophobic comments onstage in 2021 or the tragic truth about Ariana Grande's brother Frankie's life to see that the music industry still isn't totally an ally in the 2020s. So, as you can imagine, things weren't much better in '06.

Indeed, the public reaction to Bass' announcement also greatly affected his family. "For years, they have had to deal with the judgmental looks and constant condolences from friends and strangers as if I had died," added the multihyphenate, who has had screen success playing himself in both "Zoolander" and "Tropic Thunder," in the aforementioned HuffPost piece. But to end on a positive note, Bass has since married his partner, Michael Turchin. Here's everything we know about Bass' husband.

For those involved, the end of band life is never easy. Just ask One Direction's Louis Tomlinson or pretty much any member of Fleetwood Mac. What's worse is when you have hope the band will come back and ... it just doesn't. Well, that's pretty much what happened to NSYNC's Joey Fatone. By the way, here's how Fatone really felt about Justin Timberlake dropping NSYNC to go solo. Impressively, though, he tried to see the positives. "[The breakup] was more or less, 'Holy s***,'" he recalled to Rolling Stone. "[T]hese doors are opened. Let's see if I can walk in. I may suck, but let's find out." However, he did get a bit stuck.

Despite a stint on Broadway in August 2002 and a role in "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" during the early days of the band's hiatus, it was only circa 2007, around five years after NSYNC called it quits, that things really changed for Fatone. "I did 'Dancing With the Stars,' people saw my personality," he added in his Rolling Stone interview. "People were like, 'Oh, he's not just a guy from NSYNC. He's actually a person that actually acts.' It was interesting the path that I had to go through, but it was amazing."

So, why did NSYNC break up, and what have they said about returning for a possible reunion? Here's our exclusive with Fatone on the potential of a future NSYNC reunion. 

Regardless of fame or fortune, mental health can affect us all. Even former pop stars who live insanely lavish lives. "People always see the best parts and it looks like a fabulous life, but I'm human and I go through all of it, from happiness to depression," said Lance Bass to Entertainment Tonight in 2018. "I've had depression for a long time and I still have bouts of it," he added. "It's in my makeup. I get days where I feel like nothing's right, then I have to go, 'Wait a minute,' and start thinking about all the good things in my life. That's how I turn it around."

According to Mind, depression rarely has one contributing factor. For Bass, it was the twin difficulties of hiding his sexuality, which he believes may have given him PTSD, and the dog-eat-dog world of the music industry. So don't be fooled by the red carpets and major motion picture cameos, it ain't always all glitz and glam on the inside. "This business is what triggers me now," he added in his candid chat with Entertainment Tonight. "It's a horrible industry to be in because 99% of everything you do is a failure and you're told, 'No,' all the time." Here's hoping the singer-turned-philanthropist has found a healthy way to deal with his feelings.

According to data from the Middle East Fertility Society, only around 50% of IVF cycles end in a successful birth. It's a tragic stat, but one worth noting. For example, Lance Bass and his husband, Michael Turchin, had eight unsuccessful IVF attempts of their own when trying for pregnancy with a surrogate. Finally, in the late '10s, they thought they'd got the pregnancy they'd longed for with their ninth go at IVF and ninth egg donor.

But that was when tragedy struck. "We unfortunately lost [our child] after eight weeks, which happens to pretty much everyone when you're going through IVF," said Bass in a 2020 interview with Entertainment Tonight. "I didn't even know that as we were going through this, but we've met so many great couples who have the same story."

To add yet more tragedy upon tragedy, fatherhood was something Bass had initially worried that his sexuality would preclude him from. When they got the initial good news, the "Out of Sync" author's mind raced with everything from his kid's appearance to their future wedding. "That's the thing that sucks — you can't help yourself from thinking those thoughts and having this perfect world scenario in your mind," added Bass. Indeed, such daydreaming is as inevitable as death and taxes, and can sometimes be as painful as both. Thankfully, the couple announced they'd be fathering twins in 2021. Here's how Bass really feels about becoming a dad.

"My heart is so heavy," wrote Justin Timberlake in a heartfelt Instagram post about Nicole Hurst in 2021. "We lost a beautiful soul this week." Hurst, who provided backing vocals for Timberlake as a member of his Tennessee Kids touring troupe, sadly died after what was an initial breast cancer diagnosis spread to her brain. She was only 38 years old. Far, far too young.

The Houston-born Hurst was first diagnosed with Stage 2 breast cancer when she was set to work with the "Suit and Tie" singer and his collaborator Jay-Z on their 12-date "Legends of the Summer" stadium tour. That was in 2013. After multiple treatments, the cancer grew to Stage 3. The backup songstress, who also worked with the likes of Kelly Clarkson and Bruno Mars, was in remission in 2017. But as is the case for 30% to 50% of Stage 3 breast cancer patients in remission, according to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, the disease reared its ugly head again.

"Some things feel so unfair and we will never understand why they happen," added Timberlake in the aforementioned post. We can't help but agree.

Even worse than having an illness is having an illness that goes undiagnosed. Little to Lance Bass' knowledge, he suffered from psoriatic arthritis for a while before he realized something was up. "I had symptoms before, but you know, I kind of just dealt with it, not knowing exactly what it was. I was a dancer my whole life, so I just figured it was because of dancing," he said in a 2022 interview with People. "It definitely started in my shoulders and then in my knees," he continued. "And again, to me, that was just such a sign of dancer pain, so I just thought it was completely normal, totally ignoring the signs."

But although dancing can cause pain in your joints, it's very rare that it also causes the redness and patching on your scalp that psoriatic arthritis does. According to the Mayo Clinic, psoriatic arthritis comes in waves. So, we can understand if Bass assumed his difficulties were just a result of hitting the floor a little too hard.

Despite the condition's cyclical nature, there is no cure. How does Bass cope? Well, he started a campaign to raise awareness via a TikTok dance. On his Instagram, he made a social media-oriented take on heads, shoulders, knees, and toes, soundtracked by a NSYNC-ified (read: harmonizing, tight choreo, and an anthemic chorus) rendition of the children's tune. So don't wait, check 'em!

Even if you have a passing knowledge of ever-evolving pop stan lingo, you've likely come across the phrase, "This is going to ruin the tour." It was bandied around social media in so many different contexts and captioned so many memes that its origins may have gotten lost among the posts. But there was something very tragic behind it, and it involved Justin Timberlake.

The meme originated from an anonymous source who had information about Timberlake's June 2024 arrest for driving while intoxicated in New York. This took place after the release of his album "Everything I Thought It Was" and amid his globetrotting "Forget Tomorrow" concerts to promote the record. "This is going to ruin the tour," was what the "Sexy Back" singer reportedly muttered to police during his arrest (via Page Six). When the police inquired into what tour Timberlake meant exactly, he responded, "The world tour."

Things didn't look good for the "Trouble With the Curve" actor. Timberlake reportedly refused a Breathalyzer test, despite his protestations that he'd only had one drink, and he was subsequently arrested, mug shot and all. So, the question on everyone's lips: Did it ruin the tour? Frankly, no. In fact, as Complex reported, the tour dates earned him upward of $140 million. That's just one of the controversial Timberlake moments we can't forget about.

"There's like three things that I care about honestly in life," said J.C. Chasez on Lance Bass' "Frosted Tips" podcast in 2023. "[T]hat is the happiness and health of my family, happiness and health of my loved ones ... and honestly being proud of something that I've worked on." In case there was any doubt, Chasez, who was adopted when he was 5, values his family very highly. "I'm proud to be ... the son of my father, the son of my mother," he added. "You know, I'm proud to be a brother to my sister and brother and all my family."

Tragically, just two years later, in 2025, some very sad news emerged about the "If You Were My Girl" singer's family. Chasez's foster father, Ray "Roy" Edward Chasez, died as a result of cancer. "He lived a long and full life before losing his fifth cancer battle," his obituary read (via Altman-Long Funeral Home). What shouldn't be forgotten is the impact of cancer on the family of those diagnosed. The financial struggles. The fear. The anger. It's a lot. Then, in Chasez's case,multiply it by five.

At Ray's funeral, some NSYNC members were there to support their bandmate and remember his father, who had been a pivotal part of the band's offstage team since their inception. It shows the brotherly bond of a boy band, but like any family, they have had their highs and lows.

"I've been battling some health issues," Justin Timberlake announced on Instagram in July 2025. "[I] was diagnosed with Lyme disease — which I don't say so you feel bad for me — but to shed some light on what I've been up against behind the scenes." Lyme disease? Isn't that the one all the celebs have? Kinda. Alec Baldwin and at least two Hadids have had it, among many others. So, Timberlake isn't the first superstar to suffer from it. Although many who have Lyme disease don't experience any symptoms, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine, if it's a bad infection, it shouldn't be taken lightly. Timberlake's infection was bad; he felt fatigue and major nerve pain while performing.

They're symptoms that would put a wrench in the works of anyone's life, let alone a touring musician. "If you've experienced [Lyme disease] or know someone who has," "The Social Network" actor added in the aforementioned post, "then you're aware: living with this can be relentlessly debilitating, both mentally and physically." Indeed, Timberlake — a seasoned veteran of the touring circuit — was forced to question whether he could continue his "Forget Tomorrow" world tour.

Thankfully, Timberlake managed to complete the tour dates, despite some rescheduled performances and some subpar reviews from critics who were unaware of his health problems. But now we know that Timberlake had a very valid reason for not being quite up to scratch on tour.