As a teen heartthrob, Carter seemed to have it all. But like many poster kids of his generation, success came with a dark side
Aaron Carter was just 34 when he died on Saturday, yet he seemed to have lived more lives than most. The singer, and younger brother of Backstreet Boys member Nick Carter, started performing at seven and released his self-titled debut album in 1997, when he was just nine years old. By 13 he had three bestselling albums under his belt and a slot supporting Britney Spears on tour during the height of her fame. At 14, he was selected to perform alongside the likes of Liza Minnelli, Gladys Knight and Missy Elliott at Michael Jackson’s 30th anniversary celebration at Madison Square Garden. That is an incredible list of achievements by anyone’s standards, but – as seems to be the case with so many who find themselves in the public eye from such a young age – Carter’s adult life became defined by his struggles.
Born in the small town of Rockwood, east Tennessee, Carter’s bubblegum sound and mini-bad boy image made him the definitive millennium child star. Just innocent enough to be family-friendly but just rebellious enough to become the number-one heartthrob for girls who grew up wearing bedazzled headbands and reading J-14, his dishevelled blond hair and Eminem-via-Dennis the Menace look stood out even in an oversaturated landscape of manufactured pop groups and Mickey Mouse Club graduates. His music videos were lurid and memorable, set in the familiar worlds of movie dates, photobooths, street parties, basketball courts, clubs – typically adult settings that made preteendom look and feel like an unruly, insular universe of its own.
