Before his death at age 34, Aaron Carter was known for his career as a teen idol, but he wasn’t the only famous member of his family.
Born in December 1987, the “I Want Candy” singer and his twin sister, Angel Carter, are the youngest members of the Carter family, which also includes Backstreet Boys member Nick Carter, Bobbie Jean Carter and the late Leslie Carter. Nick, born in January 1980, was the first Carter sibling to gain international fame, but his younger siblings soon followed in his footsteps.
Aaron began his music career in the late 1990s, opening for the Backstreet Boys when he was just 9 years old. His self-titled debut album dropped in Europe in December 1997 before hitting the United States six months later, and he quickly became a pop star in his own right.
Meanwhile, his sister Leslie (born in June 1986) was kicking off her own career, signing a record contract in 1999. Her debut album was never released, but the track “Like Wow!” debuted in January 2001 and appeared on the Shrek soundtrack.
In October 2006, the whole family teamed up for the short-lived E! reality show House of Carters, which also starred Aaron’s twin, Angel, and eldest Carter daughter Bobbie Jean (born in January 1982). The show was canceled after just eight episodes, and the Carters’ ups and downs only intensified.
Aaron, then 18, proposed to Playboy model Kari Ann Peniche in September 2006, but the duo called off their engagement after just six days. Nick, meanwhile, struggled with drug and alcohol abuse, which he later discussed in his 2013 memoir, Facing the Music and Living to Talk About It.
“I began drinking heavily in my teens and then moved on to drugs at 18 or 19, starting with marijuana and moving up to cocaine, ecstasy and prescription painkillers among other substances,” the Masked Singer alum wrote. “My life plummeted to an all-time low. … My crowd made partying an extreme sport. We repeated that binge and bump cycle night after night.”
Nick’s younger brother also struggled with substance abuse, entering rehab in September 2017 after he was arrested for driving under the influence. “I’ll say here right in front of all y’all, I’m not ashamed of it. I have issues,” Aaron told Us Weekly in December of that year. “I have post-traumatic stress disorder. … Everything just spiraled out of control.”
The former child star died at age 34 in November 2022. After his death, Nick paid tribute to his little brother via social media, writing: “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 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.”
Keep scrolling for a guide to Aaron’s family.
Eliza Thompson
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