Pop star Aaron Carter was found dead at his California home Saturday. He was 34 years old.
His manager confirmed his passing to KTLA, saying that no comment was immediately available but adding that a statement would be released shortly by the singer’s family.
“Thank you for your understanding during this difficult time,” manager Taylor Helgeson said.
TMZ reported that Carter was found dead at his home in Lancaster, reportedly after drowning in his bathtub.
Though Carter was not identified, first responders received a call regarding a drowning just before 11 a.m. in the 42500 block of Valley Vista Drive, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
Sheriff’s officials said he was found by his housesitter unresponsive in his tub. The housesitter was told to perform CPR until paramedics arrived on scene, at which point he was declared deceased.
No additional information was made available, but the Sheriff’s Department added that the death was under investigation by the LASD Homicide Bureau.
However, the involvement of homicide detectives does not necessarily mean that foul play is suspected.
Carter rose to fame as a child star, first as a singer (and the younger brother of the Backstreet Boys’ Nick Carter) and later as an actor in film and television shows like “Lizzie McGuire” and “7th Heaven.”
He opened for the Backstreet Boys on a 1997 tour, according to The Hollywood Reporter, and he did the same for Britney Spears, according to The Associated Press.
Carter is perhaps most well known, however, for his sophomore album “Aaron’s Party (Come Get It),” which was released in 2000 and has been certified triple platinum.
It included the title track as its first single, as well as a cover of “I Want Candy” and a basketball-themed song “That’s How I Beat Shaq.” The parody song features an accompanying video with NBA icon Shaquille O’Neal in which the Hall of Famer loses a game of pickup to the scrawny preteen.
The teenage heartthrob had several high-profile romances, including with fellow child stars Lindsay Lohan and Hilary Duff.
“For Aaron- I’m deeply sorry that life was so hard for you and that you had to struggle in-front of the whole world,” Duff wrote on Instagram. “You had a charm that was absolutely effervescent… boy did my teenage self love you deeply. Sending love to your family at this time. Rest easy.”
In 2019, he publicly came out as bisexual, although he admitted he had only dated women.
Carter notably battled addiction for many years, facing legal troubles and entering rehabilitation while continuing with his music career, according to E!, which also aired the reality show “House of Carters” starring Aaron and Nick.
In September, he entered rehab for the fifth time so he could regain custody of his infant son, Prince, according to the Los Angeles Times.
He also publicly feuded with many, including Nick, whom he accused of trying to put him under a conservatorship.
In 2019, he revealed on “The Doctors” that he was diagnosed with “multiple personality disorder, schizophrenia, acute anxiety and manic depression,” according to CNN.
“The family has been notified and will be flying out to Los Angeles. Aaron worked very hard towards the end of his life in recovery, to be a good father and to make amends with his family,” Carter’s publicist said in a statement to KTLA.
In a statement made on Twitter Sunday morning, Nick Carter said his “heart is broken” after his brother’s death.
“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,” Carter wrote. “Sometimes we want to blame someone or something for a loss, but the truth is that addiction and mental illness are the real villains here. I will miss my brother more than anyone will ever know. I love you baby brother.”
Anyone with information about Carter’s death is asked to contact the LASD Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500.