Aaron Carter

Aaron Charles Carter (December 7, 1987 – November 5, 2022) was an American rapper, singer, and actor. He came to fame as a pop and hip hop singer in the late 1990s, establishing himself as a star among pre-teen and teenage audiences during the first years of the 21st century, with his four studio albums.

Carter began performing at age seven and released his self-titled debut album in 1997 at age nine, selling a million copies worldwide. His second album Aaron's Party (Come Get It) (2000) sold three million copies in the United States, and Carter began making guest appearances on Nickelodeon and touring with the Backstreet Boys shortly after the record's release. Carter's next album, Oh Aaron, also went platinum, and the musician released what would be his last studio album in over 15 years, Another Earthquake!, in 2002, followed by his 2003 Most Requested Hits collection.

Carter appeared on Dancing with the Stars, the Broadway musical Seussical, the off-Broadway musical The Fantasticks, and made several one-off performances. In 2014, he released a single featuring rapper Pat SoLo, "Ooh Wee". Carter released the single, "Fool's Gold", on April 1, 2016, and an EP titled LøVë in February 2017. His fifth studio album of the same name was released on February 16, 2018.

Aaron Charles Carter was born on December 7, 1987, in Tampa, Florida, where his parents, Jane Elizabeth (née Spaulding) and Robert Gene Carter (1952–2017), ran a retirement home. The family was originally from Jamestown, New York, where his older brother Nick, of the boy band Backstreet Boys, was born. In addition to his brother, he had three sisters: twin sister Angel (a model), B.J., and Leslie (1986–2012). Carter attended the Frank D. Miles Elementary School and the Ruskin School in Florida.

1997–1999: Music beginnings and self-titled debut album

Carter began his career as the lead singer of Dead End, a band formed after the members met at a Tampa rock school. He left the band after two years because they were interested in alternative rock while Carter was interested in pop.

Carter made his first solo appearance, singing a cover of The Jets' "Crush on You", when opening for the Backstreet Boys in Berlin in March 1997. The performance was followed by a record contract, and in the fall of 1997, he released his first single "Crush on You". Carter's debut studio album Aaron Carter, was released on December 1, 1997. The album achieved gold status in Norway, Spain, Denmark, Canada, and Germany, and was released in the United States on June 16, 1998.

2000–2001: Aaron's Party (Come Get It), acting debut, and Oh Aaron

Carter's second studio album, Aaron's Party (Come Get It), was released in the United States on September 26, 2000, under the Jive label. The album sold more than three million copies in the United States and was certified 3× platinum by RIAA. The album included the hit singles, "I Want Candy", "Aaron's Party (Come Get It)", "That's How I Beat Shaq", and "Bounce", all of which received airplay on Disney and Nickelodeon. He also made several guest appearances on Nickelodeon and performed as the opening act in several concerts for the Backstreet Boys and Britney Spears' Oops!... I Did It Again Tour.

In March 2001, he made his acting debut, guest starring on an episode of the Disney Channel series Lizzie McGuire. That same month, he and fellow teen star Samantha Mumba performed a concert in MGM studios live on the Disney Channel, titled Aaron Carter and Samantha Mumba in Concert. Aaron's part of the concert was released to DVD that same month as Aaron's Party: Live in Concert. In April 2001, he made his Broadway debut, playing JoJo the Who in Seussical the Musical.

At the age of 13, Carter recorded his third studio album Oh Aaron, which was released on August 7, 2001, and featured his first duet recording with his brother Nick, and a song with the group No Secrets. Play Along Toys created an Aaron Carter doll in conjunction with the album's release. Oh Aaron went platinum that same year and a live concert at Baton Rouge, Louisiana, was released to DVD as Oh Aaron: Live In Concert. His songs "Leave It Up to Me", "A.C.'s Alien Nation", and "Go Jimmy Jimmy" were used in the soundtrack for the 2001 movie Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius.

2002–2008: Another Earthquake, Most Requested Hits, Saturday Night and House of Carters

Carter's fourth studio album, Another Earthquake!, was released on September 3, 2002, during the "Rock, Rap, and Retro" tour. The album featured the patriotic-themed "America A.O." and the ballad "Do You Remember". He guest-starred on three episodes of the Nickelodeon TV show All That and sang the theme song to the PBS animated series Liberty's Kids, titled "Through my own Eyes".

In 2002, Carter's parents filed a lawsuit against his former manager Lou Pearlman (now deceased), alleging failure to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in royalties on Carter's 1998 album, which was released through Pearlman's label and production company Trans Continental. On March 13, 2003, Pearlman was declared in contempt of court for ignoring a court order to produce documents relating to royalty payments. The suit was settled out of court.

Carter's Most Requested Hits, a collection including tracks from his last three albums as well as a new single, "One Better", was released on November 3, 2003.

"Saturday Night" was released on March 22, 2005, and promoted by Carter that summer. The song was released by Trans Continental label, with Lou Pearlman as executive producer. The single was also featured in the soundtrack of the film Popstar, in which Carter starred. The direct-to-video film was based heavily on his own life as a performer. A real-life Motocross racer, Carter also appeared in 2005's Supercross.

On March 21, 2006, Trans Continental filed a lawsuit against Carter with the Los Angeles Superior Court, citing that Carter reneged on a recording deal. Carter signed the contract on December 7, 2004, when he was 17; his attorney argued that Carter had the right to "cancel or void various agreements" that were signed when he was a minor.

Carter and his siblings starred in a reality show, House of Carters, which ran in October–November 2006 on E!. The series featured all five Carter siblings reuniting to live in the same house.

2009–2013: Dancing with the Stars and return to touring

In 2009, Carter joined season 9 of Dancing with the Stars. He was partnered with Karina Smirnoff; they finished in fifth place. During this time he also released some music online, including the single "Dance with Me" featuring Flo Rida. On August 22, 2010, Carter performed in Lake Ronkonkoma, New York at a benefit concert for Audrianna Bartol, a 3-year-old stricken with Stage 4 neuroblastoma cancer.

On January 23, 2011, Carter's manager Johnny Wright announced that Carter entered a treatment facility "to heal some emotional and spiritual issues he was dealing with." After entering the facility, Carter's first message to his fans was, "The main thing in life is not to be afraid of being human." On February 10, 2011, it was announced that Carter had successfully completed a month of rehab at the Betty Ford Center in Rancho Mirage, California. Carter was scheduled to perform a second benefit concert for Audrianna Bartol on February 5, 2011, in Lake Ronkonkoma. On March 24, 2011, he performed at a benefit concert for the activist organization, "Four Years. Go" in Manville, New Jersey. On September 2, 2011, Carter performed a show at the Eagle Ridge Mall in Lake Wales, Florida.

On November 7, 2011, Carter began starring in the Off-Broadway production of the world's longest running musical, The Fantasticks, at the Snapple Theater Center in New York City. Carter was cast in the role of Matt, the play's central character.

In January 2012, Carter was one of eight celebrities participating in the Food Network reality series Rachael vs. Guy: Celebrity Cook-Off. He was eliminated in the first episode.

Throughout 2012, Carter made several one-off performances. On January 12, 2012, Carter performed a concert at Showcase Live in Foxborough, Massachusetts, and on January 19, 2012, he performed another concert at the Gramercy Theater in New York City. On May 11, 2012, he performed an acoustic show at the Mohegan Sun casino in Uncasville, Connecticut. Carter hosted a Ryan Cabrera show on May 30, 2012, in Flemington, New Jersey, and performed at Mixtape Festival on August 17, 2012. In 2013, Carter kicked off his first tour in eight years, the After Party Tour. The tour ran from February to December 2013, and included over 150 shows in the United States and Canada.

2014–2022: The Music Never Stopped and LØVË projects

In June 2014, Carter went on an 11-city Canadian tour during which he performed new songs from his upcoming album. Carter also announced that he would be embarking on a worldwide tour entitled the Wonderful World Tour, named for a song titled "Wonderful World" off of his upcoming album. The tour included 50 dates and ran from September 2014 until January 2015. In July, Carter appeared on Good Day LA, where he performed "Ooh Wee", a single featuring Pat SoLo. In February 2015, Carter released an EP through SoundCloud titled The Music Never Stopped.

On January 31, 2016, Carter released his music video for "Curious" under the name Kid Carter, co-directed by MDM Media's Michael D. Monroe, Ben Epstein, and himself.

In April 2016, Carter released the single "Fool's Gold". Another single, "Sooner or Later", was released in January 2017. Both songs appeared on the EP LØVË, released in February 2017, written by Carter, Jon Asher, Melanie Fontana, Taylor "Lakestreet Louie" Helgeson, and Michel Schulz, produced and independently released by Carter on his new venture Rakkaus Records. An album of the same name was released as his fifth studio album on February 16, 2018.

Family

Carter had a son who was born November 22, 2021, to Carter and then-fiancée Melanie Martin. In September 2022, Carter checked into rehabilitation for his drug addiction, following losing child custody of his son, then aged 10 months.

Legal issues

On February 21, 2008, Carter was arrested in Kimble County, Texas, when he was pulled over for speeding, and authorities found less than two ounces of marijuana in his car.

On July 15, 2017, Carter was arrested in Georgia on suspicion of driving under the influence and marijuana charges. On October 19, 2021, Carter agreed to plea no contest to reckless driving and was placed on probation and, among other conditions, was ordered to perform community service and pay $1,500 in court fees and fines.

On August 12, 2019, Carter was granted a restraining order against his ex-girlfriend, Russian model Lina Valentina, after she reportedly threatened to stab him. On March 29, 2020, Carter's girlfriend Melanie Martin was arrested in Los Angeles following an alleged domestic violence incident against him. A few months earlier, Carter had the name 'Melanie' tattooed on his forehead.

Sexuality and relationships

On September 18, 2006, it was reported that Carter was engaged to former beauty queen and Playboy model Kari Ann Peniche. US Weekly later reported that Carter broke off his engagement to Peniche, saying he was impulsive in proposing to her. The two reunited in 2015.

Carter came out as bisexual on August 5, 2017, through Twitter, and later that year on December 18, he made a guest appearance on the podcast LGBTQ&A to discuss both his career and sexuality. He reaffirmed his bisexuality publicly on at least one other occasion, but also said that he had only ever had relationships with women. He dated several high-profile female celebrities, including Hilary Duff and Lindsay Lohan.

Finances

On November 22, 2013, Carter filed a bankruptcy petition to shed more than $3.5 million in debt, mostly taxes owed from the money made at the height of his popularity. The petition states that Carter owed the Internal Revenue Service $1.3 million in back taxes from his income in 2003. Carter settled all of his tax debt in 2014.

In February 2019, Carter purchased a home in Lancaster, California.

Health

In September 2017, Carter appeared on The Doctors, a syndicated health-focused talk show, to discuss public attention generated by his gaunt appearance and drug-related arrests. A thorough series of tests and examinations revealed Carter was not suffering from cancer or any sexually transmitted disease, but he did have a candida infection, which can be a sign of a weakened immune system. Carter tested negative for illegal drugs, but tested positive for "a mixture of benzodiazepines with opiates", a potentially dangerous combination of prescription medications that Carter said he took for anxiety and sleep. He was malnourished and underweight — 115 pounds (52 kg) at 6 feet (1.8 m) - with a body mass index of 17 (a BMI of 18.5 to 25 is normal range). Carter was advised to enter a drug rehabilitation program and remain under medical care.

Carter admitted himself to Alo House, a treatment center in Malibu, California. In February 2018, he reported improvement and that his weight was 160 pounds (73 kg). In 2019, Carter and his mother, Jane, appeared in the WEtv reality series Marriage Bootcamp: Family Edition. The show focuses on attempting to repair strained relationships through unconventional therapy.

In a further appearance on The Doctors in 2019, Carter disclosed that he had been diagnosed with both schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

Controversies

Carter had a tumultuous relationship with his siblings, and many of their feuds have played out on social media. In September 2019, Carter made allegations of sexual abuse against his sister Leslie, who died of a drug overdose in 2012, saying that the abuse began when he was ten years old and ended when he was 13, and occurred when Leslie would fail to take her prescribed medication for her bipolar disorder. He also accused his brother Nick of life-long abuse, and implied that Nick also abused a female family member. Nick's legal team denied the allegations, which came after Nick and their sister, Angel, sought restraining orders against Carter, who reportedly confessed that he had thoughts of killing Nick's then-pregnant wife, Lauren Carter.

In January 2020, German artist Jonas Jödicke tweeted that Carter was making unauthorized use of Jödicke's copyrighted artwork to promote merchandise. Carter did reply. Following the incident, Jödicke was interviewed by Forbes, saying he was "absolutely amazed" at Carter's response. In June 2021, Carter agreed to pay Jödicke $12,500.

In March 2020, Carter set up an OnlyFans account, which is popular in the adult entertainment industry. Carter began charging $50 to $100 per nude photo, or $26 a month. PinkNews stated "the prices are steep and the content is bizarre", while Queerty stated "The reviews of Aaron Carter's OnlyFans page are in and they're not good."

In August 2021, Carter was announced as a performer in the Las Vegas production of Naked Boys Singing. He was let go before the show's debut because he refused to be vaccinated against COVID-19.

Boxing career

On June 11, 2021, Carter participated in an exhibition boxing match with former NBA player Lamar Odom. Odom knocked Carter out in the second round.

On November 5, 2022, Carter died at the age of 34, at his home in Lancaster, California. TMZ reported that Carter was found to have drowned in his bathtub. A representative for Carter's team said the cause of death is still being determined.

Studio albums

• Aaron Carter (1997)
• Aaron's Party (Come Get It) (2000)
• Oh Aaron (2001)
• Another Earthquake! (2002)
• Love (2018)

Headlining

• 2000–2001: Party Tour
• 2002: Aaron's Winter Party
• 2002: Rock Rap N' Retro Tour
• 2003–2004: Jukebox Tour
• 2005: Remix Tour
• 2013: After Party Tour
• 2014: Aaron Carter's Wonderful World Tour

Co-headlining

• 1998: Kids Go Music Festival (with Take 5, No Authority and 911)
• 1998: Kids Go Christmas Festival (with R&B)
• 1999: All That! Music and More Festival (with Monica, 98 Degrees, B*Witched, Tatyana Ali, 3rd Storee, and No Authority)
• 2001: Radio Disney Live! 2001 World Tour (with Krystal Harris, Hoku, Baha Men, Myra, True Vibe, Jump5, Brooke Allison, Plus One, Kaci, Play and A-Teens)
• 2018–2020: Pop 2000 Tour

Opening act

• 1997: Backstreet Boys: Live In Concert Tour (Germany, Switzerland, Austria)
• 1998: Backstreet's Back Tour (United States, Canada)
• 2000: Oops!... I Did It Again Tour (England, Germany)

Promotional

• 1998: Eurasian Tour
• 2000: Australian Tour
• 2000: Wal-Mart Promo Tour

Television

Film