Backstreet Boys member Nick Carter said he’ll miss younger brother Aaron Carter “more than anyone will ever know” in a tribute shared a day after his sibling’s sudden death.
The elder Carter acknowledged his strained relationship with his brother in an Instagram post Sunday but said “my love for him has never ever faded.”
“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,” Nick Carter, 42, wrote. “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.”
Aaron Carter, a former child star who later struggled with substance abuse, was found dead Saturday in a bathtub at his California home, according to TMZ. Police reportedly don’t suspect foul play in the 34-year-old’s death.
Aaron, who was known for songs such as “Aaron’s Party” and “That’s How I Beat Shaq,” accused Nick Carter of abuse, causing Nick to get a retraining order in 2019.
Others to pay tribute included Aaron’s twin sister, Angel Conrad, who shared an Instagram post with photos from their childhood.
“You will be missed dearly. My funny, sweet Aaron, I have so many memories of you and I promise to cherish them,” she wrote. “I know you’re at peace now. I will carry you with me until the day I die and get to see you again.”
Carter’s death is the latest tragedy to rock the singer’s family. His sister Leslie Carter died in 2012 at age 25. ABC News reported at the time that she suffered an overdose and had multiple drugs in her system.
Aaron Carter was also known for a high-profile relationship in the early 2000s with actress Hilary Duff, who mourned his death Saturday.
“I’m deeply sorry that life was so hard for you and that you had to struggle in-front of the whole world,” Duff wrote in an Instagram message addressed to Carter. “You had a charm that was absolutely effervescent… boy did my teenage self love you deeply.”
