Prior to Aaron Carter’s death, he had an estranged bond with sibling Nick Carter.
“My brother and I have always had an up and down relationship,” the “I Want Candy” performer, who died in November 2022, exclusively told Us Weekly in April 2017. “We’re brothers — what do you expect? We both do the same thing too, so there’s always going to be an underlying competition.”
Nick, for his part, rose to fame in 1996 as one of the five members of the Backstreet Boys. As the band’s success grew, Nick — alongside bandmates Brian Littrell, Howie Dorough, AJ McLean and Kevin Richardson — invited his younger brother to serve as the opening act during their 1997 tour.
“[Nick’s] the one who always wanted me to do this job that I’m doing right now,” an 11-year-old Aaron told MTV News in 1998. “He just looks out for me a lot.”
Nick and Aaron were the two sons of Robert and Jane Carter, who divorced in 2004. Robert, who died in 2017, and Jane also shared daughters Bobbie and Angel as well as Leslie, who died in 2012.
Despite a close brotherly bond as child stars — and even a few musical collaborations — Nick and Aaron’s relationship turned a corner after the “Aaron’s Party” artist notably skipped Nick’s April 2014 wedding to Lauren Kitt.
“Really pissed off that I missed my brother’s wedding today,” Aaron wrote via Instagram at the time, noting that he was in Washington D.C. for a concert the day before. “I hope he doesn’t hate me. … I tried to get there. I’m sorry bro @nickcarter #TechnicalProblems.”
Nick — who shares children Odin, born in 2016, Saoirse, born in 2019 and Pearl, born in 2021, with Kitt — remained at odds with Aaron through the years. After the “Not Too Young, Not Too Old” rapper was arrested for driving under the influence and possession of marijuana, Nick offered a public message of support via Twitter.
“[The] whole thing that happened with the DUI and all that stuff [contributed to our feud]. My brother had my [phone] number and then [he tweets], ‘If you need [anything, I’m here,]’” Aaron said of their falling out during an August 2017 appearance on Elvis Duran and the Morning Show. “Like dude, what are you talking about? You don’t even know me, Nick. You don’t even talk to me. We see each other once or twice a year and I’m keeping it real with you, and that’s what it is.”
He added: “I love my brother. I always will love my brother [and] I think he loves me conditionally.”
While Nick had been equally distraught over their fractured relationship, things reached a boiling point after he accused Aaron of making threats about Lauren and their children.
“After careful consideration, my sister Angel and I regret that we were required to seek a restraining order against our brother Aaron today,” the former Boy Band mentor tweeted in September 2019. “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, for his part, denied the allegations and noted that he did not “intend” to see his family moving forward.
After Aaron’s death at the age of 34, Nick issued an emotional statement about the loss of his sibling. “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 I Heart Nick Carter alum wrote via Instagram in November 2022. “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.”
He concluded: “I will miss my brother more than anyone will ever know. I love you Chizz.”
Scroll below to revisit the two brothers’ relationship through the years:
