CNN
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Aaron Carter, the former children’s pop singer and younger brother of Nick Carter of the Backstreet Boys, has died, a source close to the family told CNN. He was 34 years old.
A spokesperson for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department told CNN that they responded to a call for help at the home of Carter Lancaster, California, at around 11 a.m. local time on Saturday morning, where a body was found at the scene.
He was found dead in his bathroom, sources said.
Officials have not released information on the probable cause of death.
Carter, who first found fame as a boy with pop hits like “I Want Candy” and “Crush on You,” is survived by his 11-month-old son, Prince.
The singer’s first studio album, “Aaron Carter,” was released in 1997 and he performed as the opening act for the Backstreet Boys earlier that year. His fifth and final studio album, “Love,” was released in 2018.
Carter was also known for his roles in television shows such as “Lizzie McGuire” on the Disney Channel and “7th Heaven”, which debuted on the WB Television Network. He also appeared on his family’s reality series E! Entertainment Television, “House of the Carters.”
The singer received an outpouring of love and support from fans and other celebrities in 2017 when he came out as bisexual.
“There is something I want to say that I feel is important to myself and my identity that has been weighing on my chest for almost half of my life,” Carter wrote on Twitter. “It’s not something I’m ashamed of, just a weight and a burden that I’ve carried for a long time that I want to get rid of.”
He then revealed that at age 13 he “started finding boys and girls attractive.”
“It’s been years since I thought about it, but it wasn’t until I was 17, after several relationships with girls, that I had an experience with a man who I was also with. Loved it. Worked with it and grew up.”
The singer opened up on an episode of “The Doctors” in 2019 about his battle with multiple mental health issues, including multiple personality disorder, schizophrenia, severe anxiety and manic depression.
“This is my reality,” Carter said as he displayed a plastic bag of multiple prescription bottles in a clip on the show’s Facebook page.
In 2017, Carter was arrested in Georgia on suspicion of driving under the influence and possession of marijuana as he and his then-girlfriend, Madison Parker, traveled through Habersham County.
The singer later said in an interview that he doesn’t drink and denied that he has a drug problem, CNN previously reported.
“I don’t need help,” he said. “What I need people to know is that I’m human and I make mistakes like every other human being in this world, but I would never put my life or my friend’s life in danger.”
