Backstreet Boy Nick Carter Mourns Brother Aaron: 'My Heart Has Been Broken'

Backstreet Boy Nick Carter has taken to Instagram to post about the sudden loss of his brother, troubled pop star Aaron Carter, who died Saturday in California.

Nick, 42, wrote of Aaron, "My heart has been broken today. Even though my brother and I have had a complicated relationship, my love for him has never ever faded. I have always held onto the hope, that he would somehow, someday want to walk a healthy path and eventually find the help that he so desperately needed."

He went on, "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. I will miss my brother more than anyone will ever know. I love you Chizz., now you get a chance to finally have some peace you could never find here on earth….God,Please take care of my baby brother."

Aaron, 34, had been battling addiction for many years. In 2019, Nick and Aaron's twin sister Angel took out a restraining order against their brother "in light of Aaron's increasingly alarming behavior."

They did so, according to a statement by Nick at the time, because Aaron harbored "thoughts and intentions of killing my pregnant wife and unborn child," saying they were "left with no choice but to take every measure possible to protect ourselves and our family. We love our brother and truly hope he gets the proper treatment he needs before any harm comes to himself or anyone else."

Aaron's other sibling, sister Bobbie Jean, 40, was not a part of the legal action. A fifth Carter sibling, singer Leslie Carter, died of an OD at 25 in 2012.

Aaron Carter was found dead in a tub in his Lancaster, California, home early Saturday. No foul play is suspected.

His teen crush, Hilary Duff, broke hearts when she took to Instagram to eulogize Aaron, who had professed his love for her for many years, well into their adulthood and through her marriage and motherhood.

She wrote, "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 had a charm that was absolutely effervescent...boy did my teenage self love you deeply. Sending love to your family at this time. Rest easy."

Carter is survived by an ex-fiancée and their 11-month-old son, his three siblings, and his mother, Jane Carter, who managed his career for years.