Aaron Carter’s life and tragic death will be examined in a new documentary titled “The Carters: Hurts to Love You.”
The two-part film is told by his twin sister, Angel Carter Conrad, and focuses on the late “I Want Candy” singer, his parents and siblings, including Backstreet Boy Nick Carter.
“The Carters: Hurts to Love You," which streams on Paramount+ on April 15, is reviving interest in Aaron Carter's career and his highly publicized struggle with addiction and mental illness. He died in 2022 at age 34.
The Trailer for the upcoming documentary shows intimate family footage from when the Carter siblings were younger that was taken by their parents, mom Jean Carter and late dad Robert “Bob” Carter.
“When we were babies, Aaron was always smiling,” the late singer’s twin says in the clip. “He loved performing for people, so Aaron got into singing because he saw Nick singing. But imagine being a child and working like an adult, having your childhood taken away from you.”
Aaron Carter was father to a now-3-year-old son, Prince Carter, whom he shared with his on-off fiancée, Melanie Martin.
Read on to learn more about Aaron Carter's death.
Who was Aaron Carter?
Aaron Carter was a singer, rapper and actor who found fame at just 10 years old after the 1998 release in the United States of his self-titled debut album.
His second album, “Aaron’s Party (Come Get It),” released in 2000, scored a Top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart with its title track, and also featured the popular singles “I Want Candy” and “That’s How I Beat Shaq.”
Aaron Carter, the younger brother of Backstreet Boys member Nick Carter, also acted in movies and television and played JoJo the Who in the Broadway musical "Seussical."
Aaron Carter shared one child, Prince Carter, now 3, with Melanie Martin, his on-off fiancée.
How old was Aaron Carter when he died?
Carter was 34 when he was found dead in his Lancaster, California, home on Nov. 5, 2022.
What was the cause of Carter's death?
The singer and actor, who struggled with addiction and mental health issues throughout his life, died by accidental drowning in his bathtub after inhaling difluoroethane and taking alprazolam, the generic from of Xanax, according to records from the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner obtained by NBC News in April 2023.
Difluoroethane is “a gas commonly used as propellant in the air spray cleaners for electronic devices that can induce feelings of euphoria when inhaled,” the coroner report stated.
The pop star was the second of three Carter siblings to die from drug-related causes.
Leslie Carter died in 2012 at age 25 of an overdose of a prescription medication.
Bobbie Jean Carter died in December 2023 at age 41. Her death was caused by an accidental overdose, according to an initial case summary report released by the Hillsborough County, Florida, medical examiner obtained by local NBC News affiliate WFLA.
How did Nick Carter react to his younger brother's death?
Carter's older brother, Backstreet Boys member Nick Carter, paid tribute to his late sibling shortly after his 2022 death.
Nick Carter posted a series of childhood photos on Instagram, where he opened up about the brothers' "complicated" relationship in his caption.
“My heart has been broken today,” the singer wrote. “Even though my brother and I have had a complicated relationship, my love for him has never ever faded.”
"I have always held on to the hope that he would somehow, someday want to walk a healthy path and eventually find the help that he so desperately needed," he continued. "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."
"Now you can finally have the peace you could never find here on earth," he added.
How did others respond to Carter's death?
Melanie Martin, Aaron Carter’s on-and-off fiancée, honored the late singer in an Instagram video in December 2022. Martin shared images from a Christmas party filled with family members including the couple's then 13-month-old son, Prince.
An angel wings ornament with the name "Aaron" could be seen hanging on a Christmas tree.
“We can no longer see you with our eyes but we can feel you in our heart forever. Love your mini-me and hunni,” she wrote in the caption adding hearts, butterfly and Christmas tree emoji.
Carter's celebrity friends also paid tribute to him in heartfelt posts.
'N Sync star Lance Bass opened up on Facebook about how he and band members met Carter, whom he called "the little brother to all of us," in a hotel in Germany when Carter was a mischievous child.
“He ran into my room and instantly we were buds. He quickly became the little brother to all of us and was known for being quirky, funny and always trying to make people laugh," he wrote.
Bass also shared how difficult it was to watch over the years as addiction "got the best of" Carter. "His good friends and his family did absolutely everything they could and this will forever be an incredible loss," he wrote.
Hilary Duff, who acted opposite Carter when he guest starred on her Disney Channel show "Lizzie Maguire," wrote on Instagram that she was "deeply sorry" that "life was so hard " for Carter and that he was forced to "struggle in-front of the whole world."
"You had a charm that was absolutely effervescent...boy did my teenage self love you deeply," she added.
