VoxBlog

Highlights

• At just ten years old, Aaron Carter released an album that went on to sell millions worldwide.
• Despite initial success, Aaron's musical career took a dark turn due to drug use and personal struggles.
• Aaron's tragic death at 34 left behind a disputed estate and a family decimated by substance abuse.
• At the time of his untimely passing, Aaron Carter's net worth was estimated at over $500,000.

In the early 1990s, an adorable seven-year-old began shocking music fans with his vocal talent — the youngster's name was Aaron Carter, little brother of the talented Nick Carter, of massive "boy band" the Backstreet Boys.

In just two short years, a young Carter, who stunned people with his singing skills, would become a "little big shot" in the music industry, before he even hit double digits.

At the age of just seven, Aaron Carter became lead singer of the band Dead End. A young Aaron performed with Dead End for two years, but disagreements led him to leave the band.

Adults often struggle to make decisions for themselves, but a then nine-year-old Aaron Carter had a clear vision — he would be a pop star, whereas his former bandmates from Dead End wanted to explore alternative rock.

Aaron's older brother Nick Carter (seven years his senior) and his fellow Backstreet Boys decided to give Aaron a chance on stage, allowing him to perform at a concert in Berlin in March 1997.

Backstreet Boys fans were in awe when they witnessed this confident young child masterfully singing The Jets' "Crush On You"; he performed the song again in Germany in November of that year:

Before social media, young Aaron created a buzz, and music companies chased him.

Aaron, still yet to reach his tenth birthday, soon landed his first musical contract, setting him on a path to worldwide musical stardom.

Unfortunately, a happy ending for Aaron's story was not to be; his life later took a turn, and he endured compounding tragedies before succumbing to one himself.

Editor’s note: This article contains mentions of substance abuse disorders, drug addiction, opiates, or other related topics that may be triggering to some readers. If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction or drug abuse disorder, please visit SAMHSA.gov .

This article also contains mentions of sexual assault, abuse, or other related topics that could be triggering to some readers and survivors. If you or someone you know is in need of assistance, please visit RAINN.org . The National Sexual Assault Hotline (1-800-656-4673) is available 24/7.

Today, we'll explore his life, how he achieved such rapid success in the music industry, how his life changed and took a dangerous turn — and we'll look at Aaron Carter's net worth at the time of his premature death.

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Aaron Carter's Journey To Greatness Started At Ten

On December 7th 1997 – Aaron Carter's tenth birthday – he decided to release a self-titled album of 13 songs.

Aaron's album was an instant success, having sold a million copies worldwide, and more than 100,000 in the United States.

At the time, young Aaron was the talk of the town. By the late 1990s, after his album's success, the whole world was talking about him.

In 2000, he released his second album, Aaron's Party (Come Get It), which was the most successful album of his life and career, having sold more than three million copies in the United States alone.

Aaron's Party (Come Get It) received three platinum certificates from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

After the massive success of his second album, a then 13-year-old Aaron Carter was officially a media darling. He frequently performed as the opening act at Backstreet Boys concerts, and also at a Britney Spears concert in 2000.

Carter was featured in one episode of Sabrina, The Teenage Witch, as well as the popular Lizzie McGuire. Aaron was giving frequent interviews to the media, and appearing on talk shows while working on his then-upcoming album.

His third album, Oh Aaron, was released in August 2007, and it was considered a decent effort:

Aaron Carter's Discography And Album Sales

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Aaron Carter's Path Shifts

As a young Aaron witnessed the bright lights of fame more and more, his musical goals started to fade.

Aaron’s fourth album was the least successful of his life — but it didn't trouble him too much at that point, as he had already achieved pop star status.

Outside of music, Carter took on small roles in Liberty’s Kid, Family Affair, 7th Heaven, and Fat Albert.

Until 2005, Carter was performing at concerts, but once he landed lead roles in Supercross and Popstar in 2005, he basically wrapped his musical journey.

In 2006, the E! channel launched House Of Carters, a reality show following the lives of all five Carter siblings: Nick Carter (born in 1980), Bobbie Jean Carter (BJ, born in 1982), Leslie Carter (born in 1986), and twins Aaron Carter and Angel Carter (born in 1987).

The show aired for just two months in 2006, consisting of eight episodes in total.

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Aaron Carter's Battle With Inner Demons

Once a young boy with both fans and the media at his feet, Carter couldn't distance himself from the dark side of fame.

At 16, Aaron Carter was exposed to and began experimenting with drugs, a massive reason behind the abrupt collapse of his musical career.

Once the charming teen boy became a young man, the world began to forget about his musical achievements, his pop culture presence dominated by salacious gossip.

Aaron Carter needed to reverse his fortunes, but the problem was that his talent was bogged down by addiction and substance abuse.

In 2008, in Kimble County, Texas, police found marijuana in his car during a routine traffic stop. This would be the first time he was arrested for reasons related to drugs, but it was not the last.

Despite Aaron's woes, he was still a big name and active in Hollywood, appearing on Dancing With The Stars in 2009.

In 2011, Carter joined the cast of the world’s longest-running musical, the off-Broadway show The Fantasticks, at Snapple Theatre Center in New York City.

But in 2012, the Carter family endured a massive tragedy that shattered them — unfortunately, it was the first of several.

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The Carter Family's Feud

Leslie Carter, a singer and the third Carter sibling, was tragically found dead in her bathroom in January 2012.

According to initial reports, Leslie Carter had fallen and hit her head on a hard surface — but subsequent reports indicated that she had several drugs in her system at the time of her death.

Nick Carter, the Carter family's eldest brother, didn't attend the funeral, and later said the decision was because the Carter family blamed him for Leslie's passing.

Aaron and Nick's relationship soured; where once they were close friends as well as brothers, they became fierce foes. In 2017, patriarch Bob Carter died at the age of 65, visiting further grief upon the embattled family.

At the same time, Aaron Carter was widely associated with substance abuse, and negative stories about him proliferated in the media.

Moreover, there was no one to come to Aaron's aid in battling the allure of drugs — especially Nick, who had looked out for Aaron more than anyone.

As a result, one of the most shocking family feuds began to play out on social media. Aaron alleged that his older brother had abused him, and maintained that Nick had treated him poorly throughout his life.

In 2019, the feud between Aaron and Nick Carter escalated further, when both Nick and Aaron’s twin sister, Angel, sought a restraining order against Aaron.

Updated, April 2024: In late April, Variety.com reported on a forthcoming documentary focused on Nick Carter, Aaron Carter, and allegations made against the former:

"Backstreet Boys member Nick Carter and his late brother Aaron Carter — and the controversies and accusations swirling around both of them — will be the subject of the latest high-profile documentary series on Investigation Discovery ... Max will jointly run the four-part docuseries 'Fallen Idols: Nick and Aaron Carter' over two nights, on Monday, May 27, and Tuesday, May 28, at 9 p.m. ET.

"In particular, the series will investigate the accusations of sexual assault against Nick Carter by three women, and will also dive into younger brother Aaron Carter’s struggles with mental health and substance abuse, leading to his death in 2022.

"'Fallen Idols' will additionally look at the relationship between the brothers, which took a turn when Aaron Carter began criticizing Nick Carter for those allegations and supporting his accusers.

At the same time, Aaron's twin sister, Angel Carter, disclosed plans to posthumously release new music recorded by her late brother, with a harrowing message attached: "Learn from our story."

Angel, who is one of only two surviving Carter siblings, attributed her family tragedies to "generational dysfunction," and spoke candidly about what fame and fortune did to the Carter family. She explained:

"Once money started coming in, you know we were a family that had no money,. We were from upstate New York. My parents were poor, and they had never seen anything like this before, so once the money started coming in, it really started changing the dynamic because money became the moving force."

Angel Carter also spoke of the potential for her brother to still do good in the world, and said:

"The good in this situation is that Aaron does have this platform and my family has this platform and I would like to turn this ship around and to really start helping some other people and to learn from our story."

Nick alleged that Aaron had threatened to harm Nick’s pregnant wife and unborn child. Aaron vehemently denied all the allegations.

But the social media bickering between the once-close brothers continued; Aaron went on to side with Melissa Schuman, a former member of the pop group Dream, who had filed a lawsuit against Nick Carter for alleged sexual abuse.

According to Aaron (at the time), Nick had purportedly assaulted other girls. Initially, Nick dodged the allegations when authorities asserted that the statute of limitations had expired in 2013.

However, in 2023, Melissa Schuman again filed a lawsuit against Nick, and two additional women filed similar suits based on similar allegations. In turn, Nick Carter sued all three accusers for defamation.

When the claims first arose in 2017, those who believed Nick's denials often asserted that Aaron was "not well," that he was obsessed with his brother, and that he was bolstering the allegations to seek attention (or to otherwise get back at Nick).

In 2019, Carter family matters got even messier when, in a shocking turn of events, Aaron publicly claimed that his deceased sister Leslie had sexually abused him for three years, when he was between the ages of ten and 13.

By that point, Aaron was thoroughly isolated and without support; his siblings remained estranged from him.

He had filed for bankruptcy in 2013 and blamed his parents because, according to Aaron, he earned around $200 million from when he was seven until he turned 18, but he only received $2 million when he came of age.

Like many tragic stars before him, when Aaron was successful, everyone stood by his side. When hard times rolled around, he was alone.

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The Last Chapter Of Aaron Carter's Life

It would be reasonable to assume that Aaron Carter sank deeply into his woes, but in fact, his last chapter was initially promising.

Aaron began a musical tour in 2013; the tour was not successful, but he was returning to his roots and his original dream of being a great musician.

He toured and performed as Aaron Carter, understanding that his youthful charm was long forgotten, and endeavoring to establish a new image as a talented young man.

In 2017, after an arrest for allegedly driving under the influence of cannabis, Aaron was admitted to a rehabilitation center, in an attempt to rid himself of his demons for good.

In a poignant interview, Aaron spoke candidly of his rehab stint — as well as the toll Carter family tragedies had taken on him, and their role in his battle with substance abuse disorder.

Carter's blunt statements are now all the more unsettling in hindsight:

I was detoxing from basically weed, stuff like that, Xanax and stuff like that. They were detoxing me, but there was also a psychiatrist, and a therapist that I worked with almost daily, and they’re the ones who put me on the kind of medications that I need to be on ...

I'll say here right in front of all y'all, I’m not ashamed of it. I have issues. I have post-traumatic stress disorder. I never wanted my parents to divorce. I never wanted my dad to die. I never wanted my sister to die at 27.

In 2017, Aaron released an album which did not perform as well as some of his earlier efforts, but it was met with a decent reception, and nearly a million sales.

In 2020, Aaron found love, meeting Bulgarian bartender Melanie Martin. However, in 2021 and in early 2022, they broke up and reconciled multiple times.

In 2022, Aaron Carter stated that he had been sober for five years, and was working on his relationship with Martin.

In November 2021, Carter and Martin welcomed a son named Prince, but in February 2022, just three months after his son was born, the couple broke up again. Carter and Martin both sought restraining orders against one another.

Then in May 2022, they were spotted together with Mic Garcia (@checkthestar), hinting that the on and off couple were once again on good terms:

At that point, people expected to hear more good news about Aaron Carter's career and comeback, and he was working on a new album.

However, another Carter family tragedy loomed.

On November 5th 2022, Aaron Carter's housekeeper found him unresponsive in a bathtub. Carter had died at the age of 34.

After a childhood legacy and decades of failure, just when he had started to fix his life and overcome his addiction, fans had one question: how did this happen?

His cause of death was not initially disclosed. But according to subsequent reports, he died from a combination of alprazolam and inhaled difluoroethane, which caused him to drown in the bath.

Two days after his death, Aaron's sixth studio album, Blacklisted, was released —but tragically, the once adorable pop prodigy who had almost successfully turned things around was not there to see it.

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Aaron Carter's Net Worth And Contested Estate

At the time of his death, Aaron Carter's net worth was estimated at $550,000.

After his bankruptcy, he made amends and managed to charge his debts off in 2014, when he began touring. With his album release, he started to make money again.

Aaron Carter's net worth and wealth were in limbo because he died "intestate" — which means he had no known will or directive stipulating to whom his estate would transfer in the event of his death.

Aaron's twin sister, Angel Carter – who previously sought a restraining order against him – filed to be named legal administrator of Aaron's estate, which stood at over half-a-million dollars.

However, Melanie Martin, Aaron's fiancée and mother to his son Prince, contested Angel Carter's bid for his estate. In early 2023, Angel and Martin agreed that a neutral third-party administrator should handle Aaron's estate.

Horrifically, the Carter family had still not seen their last tragedy.

In December 2023, Bobbie Jean (BJ) Carter, the eldest sister of the Carter family, died at the age of 41. BJ's cause of death was an overdose of fentanyl and methamphetamine.

Out of five siblings, only two Carters remain: Nick Carter and Angel Carter. Substance abuse cut three of the Carter siblings' lives painfully short, a stark and terrible reminder of the ripple effect addiction has on families.

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