Aaron Carter Was Dealing With Custody Battle Ahead of His Death

Prior to Aaron Carter’s untimely death, he was dealing with custody issues with his on-again, off-again partner Melanie Martin. The Sun reported that in September, Carter opened up about the custody of his son, Prince, whom he shared with Martin. At the time, he shared in an interview that he was vowing to get custody of his son again. He claimed that Martin’s mother was given custody of the child due to drug and domestic violence allegations. 

In September, The Sun reported that Carter not only lost custody of his son but that he had also checked into a rehab facility. During a video interview, in which Martin was beside him, Carter said that he entered treatment at the Los Angeles-based Lionrock Recovery. He also opened up in the video about the situation, vowing to get better so that he could get custody of his son again. The late singer said, “I haven’t had any relapses or anything like that, it’s just triggers are big right now for me [and] I want my son back. The main reason why I enrolled into Lionrock Recovery outpatient is to help with the weed.”

Carter continued to reflect on the program, “It’s an abstinence program and I work with an individual counselor.” He noted that entering treatment was a suggestion from the court but that they did not make it mandatory for him. As he continued to explain, “I do group therapy, parenting classes, domestic violence classes, I got myself certified in CPR, just a lot of different things. It’s new being a parent but it’s actually become really fun and exciting and given me a new chapter of my life. It’s been amazing.”

Carter dealt with legal and personal issues over the past several years. His relationship with Martin frequently made headlines even as they celebrated various milestones together. After going public with their relationship in January 2020, they announced their engagement in June of that same year. They welcomed a child together, a son named Prince, in November 2021. 

Shortly after news broke that Carter had passed away, Martin shared a reaction to the tragic news on social media. She posted a video of herself crying to TikTok. Martin later posted a photo of herself and Carter sharing a kiss, which she captioned with, “My baby I can’t breathe.” Carter’s family also released a statement to the public, saying, “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.”