Hilary Duff has something to say to the “disgusting” publisher who released a statement about Aaron Carter’s memoir a week after his passing. E! News reported that Duff called out Carter’s publisher, Ballast Books, after the company announced upcoming plans for the memoir’s release. Their statement was released less than a week after Carter passed away at the age of 34.
Ballast Books recently announced that Carter’s unfinished memoir, titled Aaron Carter: An Incomplete Story of an Incomplete Life, would be released on Nov. 15. The book was written by Andy Symonds, who has been interviewing Carter for the past three years. Duff voiced her frustrations over this move while speaking with E! News, telling the publication, “It’s really sad that within a week of Aaron’s death there’s a publisher that seems to be recklessly pushing a book out to capitalize on this tragedy without taking appropriate time or care to fact check the validity of his work.” She added, “To water down Aaron’s life story to what seems to be unverified click-bait for profit is disgusting. In no way do I condone shedding any light on what is so obviously an uninformed, heartless, money grab.”
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Carter’s management team shared their appreciation for Duff for speaking out about this matter. They began by noting that they want to “thank Hilary Duff for her statement.” Their message continued, “In the few short days following our dear friend’s passing we have been trying to grieve and process while simultaneously having to deal with obscenely disrespectful and unauthorized releases. This is a time for mourning and reflection not heartless money grabs and attention seeking.” The team did say that they were taking action against the publisher by asking them to remove any unauthorized content from the memoir. They are also requesting that nothing else be released “without approval from his family, friends, and associates.”
On Nov. 5, it was reported that Carter died at the age of 34 after being found unresponsive at his home in California. At this time, his official cause of death has not been revealed. But, at the time, authorities said that the singer was discovered in the bathtub after being alerted via a 911 call that a “male had drowned.” Duff, who dated Carter in the early 2000s, was one of the first people to share a tribute to him following his death.
“For Aaron – I am deeply sorry that life was so hard for you and that you had to struggle in front of the 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.”
