Nick Carter Breaks Silence on Brother Aaron’s Death

Singer Nick Carter wrote a heartbreaking tribute to his younger brother Aaron on Sunday morning, hours after Aaron’s death was announced. The younger pop star passed away at his home in Palmdale, California on Saturday night, to the shock and dismay of fans, friends and colleagues everywhere. Nick Carter did not disguise his grief in a post that quickly amassed condolences in the comment section.

“My heart has been broken today,” Nick began. “Even though my brother and I have had a complicated relationship, my love for him has never ever faded. I have always held onto the hope, that he would somehow, someday want to walk a healthy path and eventually find the help that he so desperately needed.” Nick went on to make allusions to his brother’s struggle with addiction, implying that it played a part in his death. So far, Aaron’s cause of death has not been revealed publicly.

Nick admitted that he was struggling with conflicting feelings – wishing he could “blame” his brother or someone else for his death. However, he wrote that “addiction and mental illness is the real villain here.” With that conclusion in mind, he was able to mourn his brother more earnestly and reflect on the good times.

Nick wrote that no one else would ever fully understand how he missed his brother, and then addressed Aaron Carter directly by a nickname between the two. he wrote: “I love you Chizz, now you get a chance to finally have some peace you could never find here on earth… God, please take care of my baby brother.”

This eulogy was appended to an album of five photos, all from Nick and Aaron’s younger days. The first three came from their childhood when most people likely weren’t familiar with the Carter brothers, while the last two seemed to come from the 1990s when Nick was performing with The Backstreet Boys and Aaron was launching a solo career.

Police responded to a 9-1-1 call from Aaron’s house on Saturday at around 11 a.m. local time. They were contacted by a house-sitter according to a report by E! News. They found Aaron unresponsive in his bathtub, and he was pronounced dead on the scene. So far, no other details on his passing have been announced, though his older brother’s Instagram post fueled speculation that it was related to his recent struggles with drug addiction.

In recent years, Carter has been open with fans about his mental health and his addictions on social media, and on reality shows like Celebrity Rehab. Carter has been in and out of recovery programs and, at times, he seemed to make promising steps toward stability. That only made the news of his death more heartbreaking to fans this weekend.

If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse or addiction, please call the National Drug Helpline at (844) 289-0879.