Aaron Carter: Cause of Death After Pop Singer Found in Bathtub Remains Unclear

Aaron Carter was found dead in the bathtub at his Lancaster, California home on Saturday. Authorities have not released a cause of death yet. The 34-year-old Carter struggled with addiction throughout his adult life and had begun an outpatient recovery program in September to regain custody of his son Prince, whom he shared with his fiance, Melanie Martin.

Carter was found dead Saturday in his bathtub. Law enforcement sources told TMZ someone called 911 at around 11 a.m. to report a male drowned in the bathtub. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department later told TMZ it was Carter's house sitter who discovered his body. TMZ also published the 911 call on Sunday.

Homicide detectives were sent to the scene, but this was the standard operating procedure for death scenes like this. There was no information or evidence of foul play, TMZ reported. By the time paramedics arrived at Carter's home, the singer was already dead. Law enforcement sources told TMZ that investigators plan to look into Carter's past drug use.

The "Aaron's Party (Come Get It)" singer was the younger brother of The Backstreet Boys singer Nick Carter. He also had a twin sister, former model Angel Carter Conrad, and an older sister, B.J. Carter. He was predeceased by his older sister, singer Leslie Carter, who died in January 2012 at age 25.

"My fiancé Aaron Carter has passed away," Martin said in a statement to TMZ. "I love Aaron with all my heart and it's going to be a journey to raise a son without a father. Please respect the privacy of my family as we come to terms with the loss of someone we love greatly. We are still in the process of accepting this unfortunate reality. Your thoughts and prayers are greatly appreciated."

Carter was born on Dec. 7, 1987, in Tampa and rose to fame as a pop singer in the late 1990s. He was 9 years old when his self-titled debut album was released. His second album, Aaron's Party (Come Get It), made him a superstar in 2000, and he toured with The Backstreet Boys and Britney Spears. He also acted, appearing in Lizzie McGuire. Carter released two more hit albums as a pop singer, Oh Aaron and Another Earthquake!. In his later career, Carter transitioned to rap. He released his fifth and final album, LØVË, in 2018.

During the last years of his life, Carter frequently made headlines for his mental health struggles and drug addiction. In September, he told The U.S. Sun he was going to rehab for again, this time signing up for a month-long outpatient recovery program to regain custody of his son with Martin. He wanted to avoid a relapse after five years of sobriety, he 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," Carter said at the time. "The main reason why I enrolled into Lionrock Recovery outpatient is to help with the weed."

"My heart is broken. Even though my brother and I have had a complicated relationship, my love for him has never ever faded," Nick wrote on Instagram Sunday morning. "I have always held on to the hope that he would somehow, someday want to walk a healthy path and eventually find the help that he so desperately needed. Sometimes we want to blame someone or something for a loss, but the truth is that addiction and mental illness is the real villain here. I will miss my brother more than anyone will ever know. I love you Chizz. Now you can finally have the peace you could never find here on earth... I love you, baby brother."