"The truth is that addiction and mental illness is the real villain here," Nick Carter wrote.
Aaron Carter, the brother of Backstreet Boys singer Nick Carter, died on Saturday at the age of 34. The singer and rapper was found dead at his home in Southern California. According to NME, Aaron was found unresponsive in his bathtub after police received a 911 call at 11 am.
42-year-old Nick is now mourning the loss of his younger brother. Sharing several photos of the pair when they were younger, Nick wrote, "My heart has been broken today. Even though my brother and I have had a complicated relationship, my love for him has never ever faded. I have always held onto the hope, that he would somehow, someday want to walk a healthy path and eventually find the help that he so desperately needed."
The post continued to say that "sometimes we want to blame someone or something for a loss. But the truth is that addiction and mental illness is the real villain here. I will miss my brother more than anyone will ever know. I love you Chizz., now you get a chance to finally have some peace you could never find here on earth….God, please take care of my baby brother."
Backstreet Boys pay tribute to Aaron Carter at their show in London. pic.twitter.com/0MKzwwdOgq
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) November 7, 2022
The Backstreet Boys also paid tribute to Nick's late brother during the band’s ongoing tour in support of their 2019 album DNA. While performing No Place a “very special” song to band, because “that song is about family,” an in memoriam video of Aaron was played. Band member Kevin Richardson addressed Aaron's death to the crowd as other members went ahead and supported Nick on stage who was wiping back tears. “Tonight, we’ve got a little bit of heavy hearts,” Richardson said, “because we lost one of our family members yesterday. We just wanted to find a moment in our show to recognise him. Nick’s little brother, Aaron Carter, passed away yesterday, and he’s a part of our family and we thank you guys for all the love, all your well-wishes, and all your support.”
According to BBC, Nick took out a restraining order against his sibling in 2019 pointing out that "Addiction and mental illness are the real villains here". In a tweet addresing the need for the restraining order, the Backstreet Boys member said, "After careful consideration, my sister Angel and I regret that we were required to seek a restraining order against our brother Aaron today. We were left with no choice, but to take every measure possible to protect ourselves and our family." Nick added that he still loved Aaron and hoped he would get "the proper treatment he needs before any harm comes to himself or anyone else." In 2012, the siblings lost their sister Leslie at the age of 25 from a reported drug overdose. A cause of death for Aaron has not yet been released.
RIP Aaron Carter
— 𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐚𝐧 𝐩𝐚𝐠𝐞💫 (@gimmemorenick) November 5, 2022
sending @nickcarter and his family so much love 🤍 pic.twitter.com/bWGMrHvUR0
References:
https://www.nme.com/news/music/aaron-carter-tribute-backstreet-boys-london-concert-3343777
https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-63537972
Cover Image Source: Getty Images | Photo by Michael Buckner