LOS ANGELES (AP) 鈥� Aaron Carter, the singer-rapper who began performing as a child and had hit albums starting in his teen years, was found dead Saturday at his home in Southern California. He was 34.
Representatives for Carter鈥檚 family confirmed the singer鈥檚 death. His fiance, Melanie Martin, asked for privacy as the family grieves.
鈥淲e are still in the process of accepting this unfortunate reality,鈥� Martin said in a statement Saturday. 鈥淵our thoughts and prayers are greatly appreciated.鈥�
Carter, the younger brother of Nick Carter of the Backstreet Boys, performed as an opening act for Britney Spears as well as his brother鈥檚 boy band, and recorded several hits including 鈥淎aron's Party (Come Get It)鈥� and 鈥淚 Want Candy.鈥�
Deputies responded around 11 a.m. following reports of a medical emergency at the home in Lancaster, a desert city about 70 miles (112 kilometers) north of downtown Los Angeles, said Deputy Alejandra Parra with the LA County Sheriff's Department.
Parra said the deputies found a deceased person at the residence, but she could not immediately confirm it was Carter. Authorities later said a house sitter found a man in the bathtub in the home and resuscitation efforts were unsuccessful.
Carter opened for the Backstreet Boys tour in 1997 鈥� the same year his gold-selling debut self-titled album released. He reached triple-platinum status with his sophomore album, 2000's 鈥淎aron鈥檚 Party (Come Get It),鈥� which produced hit singles including the title song and 鈥淚 Want Candy." His videos received regular airplay on Disney and Nickelodeon.
The singer earned acting credits through his appearance on television shows including 鈥淟izzie McGuire.鈥� He starred alongside his brother, Nick, and their siblings B.J., Leslie and Angel Carter on the E! unscripted series 鈥淗ouse of Carters鈥� in 2006.
Carter made his Broadway debut in 2001 as JoJo in the musical 鈥淪eussical.鈥� In 2009, he appeared on the ABC competition show 鈥淒ancing with the Stars,鈥� finishing in fifth place with partner Karina Smirnoff. He was featured on the Food Network cooking show 鈥淩achel vs. Guy: Celebrity Cook-Off鈥� in 2012.
In 2017, Carter opened up about his substance abuse on an episode of 鈥淭he Doctors.鈥� He was in rehab that same year after he was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence and marijuana charges. He checked himself in for treatment on a few occasions in an effort to regain custody of his son Prince.
Carter's fifth and final studio album, 鈥淟OVE,鈥� was released in 2018.
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Rancilio reported from Detroit. Entertainment Writer Jonathan Landrum Jr. contributed to this report.
Christopher Weber And Alicia Rancilio, The Associated Press
