Nick Carter broke his silence after Aaron Carter‘s death.
“My heart has been broken today. Even though my brother and I have had a complicated relationship, my love for him has never ever faded,” the Backstreet Boys singer, 42, wrote via Instagram on Sunday, November 6. “I have always held onto the hope that he would somehow, someday want to walk a healthy path and eventually find the help that he so desperately needed.”
Nick and Aaron Carter. Courtesy of Nick Carter/Instagram
He added, “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 get a chance to finally have some peace you could never find here on earth. … God, Please take care of my baby brother.”
The “I Want Candy” singer was found dead at his California home on Saturday, November 5, a rep confirmed to Us Weekly. He was 34.
As Nick, now 42, rose to fame in the Backstreet Boys, Aaron followed in his footsteps as a singer and rapper. His hits included “Oh, Aaron,” “Not Too Young, Not Too Old” and “That’s How I Beat Shaq.”
Aaron opened for the Backstreet Boys on tour and the brothers costarred on the 2006 E! reality series, House of Carters. However, the two had a troubled relationship in recent years. Nick got a restraining order against Aaron in 2019 after alleging that his brother had made threats to his wife, Lauren Kitt, and their children. (The two share Odin, born in 2016, Saoirse, born in 2019 and Pearl, born in April 2021.)
“After careful consideration, my sister Angel and I regret that we were required to seek a restraining order against our brother Aaron today,” Nick tweeted in September 2019.
He continued, “In light of Aaron’s increasingly alarming behavior and his recent confessions that he harbors thoughts and intentions of killing my pregnant wife and unborn child, we were left with no choice but to take every measure possible to protect ourselves and our family. We love our brother and truly hope he gets the proper treatment he needs before any harm comes to himself or anyone else.”
Aaron and Nick Carter. Mediapunch/Shutterstock
Aaron confirmed the news on his Twitter around the same time as Nick posted his statement “So my brother just got a restraining order against me. And I was just served lol,” Aaron tweeted. “Take care. @nickcarter we’re done for life. I haven’t seen him in four years. And I don’t intend.”
He continued, “You should send a cease and desist while you’re at it too.”
The “I’m All About You” singer denied his brother’s claims that he had “thoughts” about killing the boy band member’s wife and baby. “I am astounded at the accusations being made against me and I do not wish harm to anyone, especially my family,” Aaron tweeted. “This is obviously a chess game of some sort.”
Previously, Nick and Aaron mourned the loss of their sister Leslie, who died of a drug overdose in February 2012 at age 25. Leslie is survived by daughter Alyssa and husband Mike. Aaron is survived by son Prince, 11 months, who he welcomed with ex Melanie Martin. Both are survived by their mother, Jane, as well as siblings Virginia, Bobbie Jean, Angel and Kaden. Their father, Robert Carter, died in 2017 after a heart attack at age 65.
