Raven-Symoné Remembers Aaron Carter
Raven-Symoné is remembering Aaron Carter following his death at the age of 34 on Saturday. Speaking with Entertainment Tonight shortly after news of Carter's tragic passing broke, the former Disney Channel star stressed the importance of prioritizing mental health and wellness.
The actress opened up about Carter's death while walking the red carpet at The Santa Clauses premiere at Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California on Sunday with her wife, Miranda Pearman-Maday. While chatting with ET, Raven-Symoné took a moment to pay her respects to Carter, a star who was on the rise at the same time she was. The actress told the outlet that she and her wife were "sending our love out to the family," noting that she and Carter crossed circles multiple times within the music industry. "My heart goes out to Nick [Carter]." Calling Carter's death "such a tragedy," she also called for an increased focus on mental health and wellness.
"I think we really do need to get the world in order, so we can start focusing on mental health. It's a real thing, and we need to stop losing our youth to it. Maybe one day people will get the hint," she said. "It's just a part of our everyday life to have check-ups, mentally, and help our society out."
Carter, a musician and actor who rose to fame as a child in the '90s, had spoken publicly of his struggles with addiction and mental health prior to his death. In 2008, the star was arrested in Texas after police found more than two ounces of marijuana in his vehicle during a traffic stop. In May 2017, Carter was pulled over in Habersham County, Georgia and charged with driving under the influence, possession of less than one ounce of marijuana and possession of drug-related objects. Later that year, and after hitting what he later described as "rock bottom," Carter entered rehab. In August 2019, the embattled star took to Instagram to celebrate two years of sobriety from an addiction to prescription pills. In September 2019, Carter also publicly shared that he was diagnosed with multiple personality disorder, schizophrenia, acute anxiety and manic depression.
Carter was found dead in a bathtub at his Lancaster, California home Saturday. At this time, his cause of death has not been released. He was predeceased by his older sister, singer Leslie Carter, who died in 2012 at age 25. Carter is survived by his older sister B.J. Carter, twin sister, Angel Carter Conrad, older brother Nick Carter, and his 11-month-old son, Prince, whom he shared with ex-fiancée Melanie Martin.