Aaron Carter

Aaron Charles Carter (December 7, 1987 – November 5, 2022) was an American singer and rapper. He came to fame as a teen pop singer in the late 1990s, establishing himself as a star among preteen and teenage audiences during the first years of the 2000s, with his four studio albums.

Carter began performing at age seven, after the formation of his brother Nick's group the Backstreet Boys, 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 in 2002 he released what would be his last studio album for over 15 years, Another Earthquake!, followed by his 2003 Most Requested Hits collection.

Carter appeared on Dancing with the Stars, and in the Broadway musical Seussical and 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" in 2016, and an EP titled Love in 2017. His fifth studio album, also titled Love, was released in 2018. A sixth album, Blacklisted, was released two days after his accidental drug-related death.

Early life

Aaron Charles Carter was born on December 7, 1987, in Tampa, Florida. His parents, Jane Eleonora Schneck (née Spaulding, previously Carter) and Robert Gene Carter (1952–2017), ran a retirement home. He had an older brother, Nick, a member of the Backstreet Boys, and three sisters: his twin, Angel, a model; Bobbie Jean (BJ) (1982–2023); and Leslie (1986–2012). In addition to his full siblings, he also had an older half-sister, Ginger Lee Carter (1972–2023), and a younger half-brother, Kaden Carter. The family is originally from Jamestown, New York. Carter attended Frank D. Miles Elementary School and the Ruskin School in Florida.

Carter's parents divorced in 2004; he was told about the divorce one hour before filming his MTV Cribs episode. In accordance with the California Child Actor's Bill, Carter's parents were supposed to put 15% of his earnings into a Coogan account. As per Carter, "I got [...] $2 million when I turned 18 years old. I should have had at least $20 million in my account." After he turned 18 in 2005, Carter learned that he owed $4 million in back taxes. Carter claimed that his earnings had helped his parents purchase 30 cars and 15 houses; however, he did not receive any portion of the profits when they sold the properties. He also claimed that his father fired a .44 Magnum near his ear to coerce him into signing a $256,000 check. This left Carter with 70% deafness in one ear.

Carter also had a tumultuous relationship with his siblings, with many of their feuds playing out on social media in later years. In September 2019, Carter leveled allegations of sexual abuse against his sister Leslie, who died of a drug overdose in 2012. Carter reported that the abuse began when he was ten years old, ended when he was 13, and occurred when Leslie would fail to take 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 surfaced after Nick and their sister Angel sought restraining orders against Aaron, who reportedly confessed to thoughts of killing Nick's then-pregnant wife, Lauren.

Career

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

Carter began his career as the lead singer of Dead End as a 7-year-old. He left the band after two years because he wanted to perform pop music, while the other members were interested in alternative rock.

Carter made his first solo appearance at age 9, singing 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 self-titled debut studio album was released on December 1, 1997. The album achieved gold status in Canada, Denmark, Germany, Norway, and Spain, 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. Tracks 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 Channel 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 at MGM Studios live on Disney Channel, titled Aaron Carter and Samantha Mumba in Concert. Carter's part of the concert was released on DVD the same month as Aaron's Party: Live in Concert. In April 2001, he made his Broadway debut, playing JoJo the Who in the musical Seussical.

At the age of 13, Carter recorded his third studio album Oh Aaron, released on August 7, 2001, which 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 film 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 television series All That and also sang "Through My Own Eyes", the theme song to the PBS animated series Liberty's Kids, alongside Kayla Hinkle.

In 2002, Carter's parents filed a lawsuit against his former manager Lou Pearlman, 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; however, the suit itself 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 the 2005 film Supercross.

On March 21, 2006, Trans Continental filed a lawsuit against Carter with the Los Angeles County 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 from October to 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.