Backstreet Boys star Nick shares heartbreaking tribute to tragic brother Aaron Carter

On Sunday, Nick shared a series of photographs of himself and his sibling on Instagram with an emotional note about their relationship. In the caption, the elder brother said his “heart has been broken.”

“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 wrote.

He added: “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.”

Nick concluded the heartbreaking post by saying he’d “miss my brother more than anyone will ever know” and that Aaron would “get a chance to finally have some peace you could never find here on earth….God, Please take care of my baby brother.”

A spokesperson on Saturday said they were “extremely saddened and shocked” at Aaron’s death and that it was currently “being investigated”.

“We ask that you give the family time and they will have more information when available. We cannot express the outpouring of love coming in,” the statement said.

Nick’s tribute to his brother came on the heels of Aaron’s twin sister, Angel, sharing her own tribute.

“To my twin… I loved you beyond measure. You will be missed dearly. My funny, sweet Aaron, I have so many memories of you and I, and I promise to cherish them. I know you’re at peace now. I will carry you with me until the day I die and get to see you again,” she wrote.

Nick and Angel have had a tumultuous public relationship with Aaron over the years. In 2019, Aaron talked openly about his struggles with mental health and divulged his diagnoses with dissociative identity disorder, schizophrenia, acute anxiety, and manic depression.

That same year, per NBC News, Nick spoke about filing a restraining order against Aaron “due to his alarming behavior and statements after he allegedly said he had thoughts of killing Nick Carter’s wife.”

Aaron vehemently denied the allegations.

Both Nick and Aaron Carter made names for themselves in the 1990s. Nick was known worldwide as one of the heartthrob Backstreet Boys while Aaron, who periodically opened for the Backstreet Boys, had a successful solo musical career.

Aaron’s self-titled debut album was released in 1997 and his second record, Aaron’s Party (Come and Get It), went triple platinum following its release in 2000.