Aaron Carter’s death was caused by drowning and the effects of inhaling difluoroethane, and alprazolam, a generic form of Xanax, according to a copy of his autopsy report viewed by Variety on Tuesday.
The manner of his death was ruled an accident, with the first cause being drowning and the second being difluoroethane, the main ingredient used in cans of compressed air, along with the use of Xanax.
On Nov. 5 of 2022, officers responded to a call regarding a suspicious death at Carter’s residence, according to Alejandra Parra, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputy. According to TMZ, it was his live-in housekeeper who discovered Carter unresponsive in his home and called authorities.
Following his death, brother and Backstreet Boys member Nick Carter uploaded a tribute post on Instagram, alongside a series of photos of the two as children. “Sometimes we want to blame someone or something for a loss,” he wrote in the caption, “But the truth is that addiction and mental illness is the real villain here.”
Carter had become an embattled figure in recent years. In 2019, he revealed that he had been diagnosed with multiple mental health issues in an Entertainment Tonight interview regarding a DUI arrest. Weeks later, his brother, Nick, obtained a restraining order against him.
In September, the Florida native enrolled in rehab for a fifth time in hopes to regain custody of his then-10-month-old son, Prince. He and his ex-fiancée, Melanie Martin, lost custody due to domestic violence and drug concerns.
Carter grew to fame after signing a record contract following his stint as an opener for the Backstreet Boys in 1997. When he was 9, Carter released his debut studio album, featuring the hit track “Crush on You,” which went gold in December 1997. His second album, “Aaron’s Party (Come and Get It),” was released in 2000 and featured fan favorites “That’s How I Beat Shaq” and “I Want Candy.” The album went triple-platinum and launched the teenager to serve as the opening act on tours with Britney Spears and the Backstreet Boys. Carter also made appearances on Nickelodeon and Disney Channel programs, such as “Lizzie McGuire” and “All That!”
Two more albums followed: “Oh Aaron” in 2001 and “Another Earthquake!” in 2002. Carter also starred alongside his siblings in the short-lived reality series “House of Carters” on E! and starred as Jojo in the Broadway production of “Seussical the Musical.” Carter later appeared as a contestant on Season 9 of “Dancing With the Stars.” He returned to music in 2016 with his single “Fool’s Gold” before releasing his fifth album, “Love,” in 2018.