Just hours after Aaron Carter’s death on November 5, Hilary Duff shared a heartbreaking message on Instagram mourning the devastating loss. “For Aaron — I’m deeply sorry that life was so hard for you and that you had to struggle in front of the whole world. You have a charm that was absolutely effervescent.”
She continued, “Boy did my teenage self love you deeply. Sending love to your family at this time. Rest easy.”
Hilary and Aaron started dating when they were teenagers in 2000. They split in 2003. Aaron notably appeared in a 2001 episode of Hilary’s hit Disney Channel show Lizzie McGuire. The holiday-themed episode — “Coming to Town” — featured a performance from Aaron and a sweet onscreen kiss between the two of them.
Back in 2016, Aaron spoke about his past relationship with Hilary after news of her marriage to now-ex Mike Comrie and pregnancy were revealed. “I’m really happy for her that she’s in a successful relationship and that she’s going to have a baby,” he told Fox News. “Sometimes I think to myself, maybe that could have been me but it is what it is.”
Aaron was found dead at his home on November 5. “He was found unresponsive this morning by his [fiancée] Melanie Martin at the home in Lancaster, California. Everyone is so devastated right now,” Aaron’s rep told HollywoodLife. He was 34 years old. A cause of death has not been confirmed.
Aaron rose to fame as a kid in the late ’90s and early ’00s. He was known for his hit songs “I Want Candy” and “Aaron’s Party (Come Get It).” He was Backstreet Boys member Nick Carter’s younger brother. Aaron’s fifth and final studio album, LØVË, was released in 2018.
The singer leaves behind an 11-month-old son named Prince with his fiancee Melanie. Prince’s first birthday is November 22. After years of struggling with drug addiction, Aaron checked himself into rehab in September 2022 in order to regain custody of his son. His sister, Leslie Carter, passed away from a drug overdose in 2012 at the young age of 25.
