Aaron Carter Dead at 34
Music

Aaron Carter Dead at 34

Singer and former teen idol Aaron Carter has been pronounced dead at 34.

According to TMZ, law enforcement officials in Lancaster, California responded to a 911 call about man who had drowned in the tub. Carter's body was found in his bathtub. Though the cause of death is not yet known, homicide detectives were dispatched to the scene as part of a standard procedure.

Carter came to prominence as a pop singer late 90s, releasing four studio albums starting with his eponymous debut album in 1997 when he was only nine years old. But it was his triple-platinum sophomore album, Aaron's Party (Come Get It) in 2000, featuring iconic tracks like "I Want Candy" and "Aaron's Party (Come Get It)," that sold more than three million copies, played non-stop on Disney and Nickelodeon, and propelled him into a household name.

Carter's death is a tragic ending to a tumultuous story that played out in the public eye, with the singer spending his adult years embroiled in controversies including restraining orders from his siblings — twin sister Angel and older brother, former Backstreet Boys member Nick — after he alleged abuse within the family. In his later years, Carter opened up to the public about his struggles with mental health, including anxiety and depression.

Days before his death, the singer-turned-actor was pulled over for a suspected DUI while driving an RV, after the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department received a call about a driver weaving in and out of traffic. He was released following sobriety tests that revealed that he was in the clear. "When you do the right thing, you don't get in trouble," he wrote on Instagram after the incident. "Do the right thing, that's what you do."

Carter leaves behind an 11-month-old son, Prince Lyric, from his girlfriend Melanie Martin.

Photo via Getty Images / Ilya S. Savenok