The Backstreet Boys paid tribute to singer Aaron Carter while on stage in London recently following news of his death just a day before their performance.
Pausing during their set to express their combined grief and sadness about band member Nick Carter’s younger brother’s sudden passing, the former ’90s heartthrobs had everyone in tears.
Performing their song No Place as images of both Nick and Aaron flashed on a huge screen behind them, the group then halted their singing while the crowd cheered, and member Kevin Richardson took the microphone to relay an emotional message.
“Tonight we got a little bit of heavy hearts because we lost one of our family members yesterday,” he said. “We just wanted to find a moment in our show to recognize him.”
The camera then panned across the stage to show Nick, 42, crying as Howie Dorough took the mic to dedicate their next song, Breathe, to the late rapper.
“We’d like to dedicate this next song to our little brother Aaron Carter. May you rest in peace,” Howie said.
In the middle of the tribute, members AJ McLean and Brian Littrell walked over to where Nick stood, the trio all wiping their eyes as they went in to offer their bandmate a supportive hug.
Aaron Carter found dead in his home
As reported by Monsters and Critics, Aaron Carter was pronounced dead following a frantic 911 call made by his live-in housekeeper on November 5.
The singer, who gained his own fame at a young age with his smash I Want Candy, was known to have struggled with drug addiction over the years, blaming a broken jaw on his first introduction to opioids.
Nick and Aaron’s sister, Leslie, also tragically died at the age of 25 in 2012 after overdosing on drugs.
Aaron was discovered in his bathtub, with reports surfacing that the singer had appeared to have been there for a while before his housekeeper found him.
She initially alerted the cops about finding Aaron’s body in the tub, with the assumption that the singer had drowned.
However, no firm cause has been linked to Aaron’s untimely death at age 34.
Nick Carter releases statement following Aaron Carter’s death
While the remaining members of the Carter family continue to mourn the loss of Aaron, Nick released a statement via Instagram the day after the news broke to express his grief.
As shared by Monsters and Critics, Nick posted an emotional tribute to his younger sibling, telling fans his heart was broken.
Although the pair maintained a tumultuous relationship, with Nick, his wife, and Aaron’s twin sister filing a restraining order against the late singer alleging that he made death threats against them, Nick said his love for his brother had not waned.
“…my love for him has never ever faded,” Nick said in his post.
“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,” Nick wrote on his social media page. “Sometimes we want to blame someone or something for a loss, but the truth is that addiction and mental illness is the real villain here.”
Authorities are still trying to determine the exact cause of death at this time.