- Nick Carter released his first statement following the death of his brother Aaron Carter.
- The Backstreet Boys star said he will "miss my brother more than anyone will ever know."
Backstreet Boys star Nick Carter on Sunday released his first statement about his younger brother Aaron Carter, who died Saturday.
In an Instagram post, Nick said his "love for him has never ever faded" despite the difficulties he had with his brother. (The singer shared on social media in 2019 that he obtained a restraining order against Aaron, citing his sibling's "increasingly alarming behavior.")
"My heart has been broken today," he said. "Even though my brother and I have had a complicated relationship, my love for him has never ever faded. 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," Carter wrote.
He continued: "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."
Nick also included a sweet photo of the brothers as children with another heartfelt message.
TMZ first reported Aaron's death on Saturday, citing multiple unnamed sources in law enforcement. The outlet reported that his body was found in his bathtub, with sources telling the publication that authorities received a 911 call around 11 a.m.
A representative for Aaron's management company also confirmed to Insider that the singer had died.
Aaron and his relatives have spoken publicly about his addiction and mental health journey in recent years. The "I'm All About You" artist said in an interview in 2019 that he was diagnosed with multiple-personality disorder, schizophrenia, and acute anxiety.
"I'm manic depressive," he said in an episode of the talk show "The Doctors," which was published by People. "I'm prescribed to Xanax, Seroquel, gabapentin, hydroxyzine, trazodone, omeprazole."
Tributes to Aaron poured in from celebrities and fans alike. Hilary Duff, who worked with Aaron on "Lizzie McGuire" and dated him in the early 2000s, per Yahoo!, wrote on Instagram that she was "deeply sorry that life was so hard" for the singer.
"You had a charm that was absolutely effervescent … boy did my teenage self love you deeply," she wrote.