Backstreet Boys’ Nick Carter is overcome with emotion while the band pays homage to his late brother Aaron Carter on Sunday night (Nov 6) in London at the O2 Arena.
The 1990s boy band dedicated the night to the late pop icon who passed away the day before (Nov 5) at 34 years old.
After singing their 2019 single “No Place,” backed by a photo montage of the two brothers, bandmate Kevin Richardson prefaced their performance of “Breathe” with touching words dedicated to the “I Want Candy” singer.
“Tonight we got a little bit of heavy hearts because we lost one of our family members yesterday,” Richardson spoke to the crowd.
“We just wanted to find a moment in our show to recognize that Nick’s little brother, Aaron Carter, passed away yesterday at 34 years old,” Richardson added. “He was a part of our family and we thank you guys for all the love and all the well-wishes and all the support.”
Nick was comforted by fellow band members A.J. McLean, Brian Littrell and Howie Dorough with hugs as he teared up during the speech.
“We’d like to dedicate this next song to our little brother Aaron Carter,” he said, as the crowd cheered with empathy. “You will be missed, brother.”
Nick broke his silence and shared a series of photos on Sunday with a heartfelt message as he mourned the loss of his younger brother Aaron.
“My heart is broken,” Nick wrote. “Even though my brother and I have had a complicated relationship, my love for him has never ever faded. I have always held on to the hope that he would somehow, someday want to walk a healthy path and eventually find the help that he so desperately needed. I will miss my brother more than anyone will ever know. I love you Chizz. Now you can finally have the peace you could never find here on earth….. God, Please take care of my baby brother.”
The Backstreet Boys also shared a throwback group photo on Instagram of Aaron and the band, with fans remembering the impact the Carters had on their teenage years in the comments.
Aaron began touring with the Backstreet Boys at age 12, after the successful release of his second album Aaron’s Party (Come Get It) sold over 3 million copies in the United States. He went on to make appearances on Dancing With The Stars, the Broadway musical Seussical, Nickelodeon and popular teen shows Lizzie McGuire, Sabrina The Teenage Witch and 7th Heaven.
The teen sensation was found dead in his bathtub on Saturday as the Los Angeles Police Department responded to Carter’s residence in Lancaster, California around 11 a.m. He faced a number of battles including checking into rehab facilities several times and filing a bankruptcy petition in 2013 over millions of dollars of debt. He also had multiple unfortunate encounters with authorities due to drug possession and reckless driving.
Carter is survived by his brother Nick, two sisters, Angel, and B.J., and his son, Prince. He is preceded in death by his older sister Leslie Carter, who passed away in 2012 from a drug overdose.
