LOS ANGELES (AP) – Singer and rapper Aaron Carter accidentally drowned in his bathtub from sedatives he took and gas used in aerosol cleaners he inhaled, a coroner’s report said Tuesday.
Carter, the younger brother of Nick Carter of the Backstreet Boyswas found submerged and dead at age 34 in the bathtub of his home in Lancaster, Calif., on Nov. 5, according to the Los Angeles County medical examiner-coroner’s autopsy report.
Sheriff’s deputies had been the last people to see Carter alive when they arrived at his home at 2 a.m. on November 4 for a wellness check after being seen and heard ‘huffing’ an inhalant on an Instagram Live video, according to a police report. included in the autopsy results. He asked the deputies to leave, and they did.
The autopsy revealed that the sedative alprazolam, often sold under the brand name Xanax, was found in his system, as was the compressed gas difluoroethane, which the report said is “a gas commonly used as a propellant in compressed air cleaners”, which “can induce feelings of euphoria when inhaled.
Both substances incapacitated him in the bathtub and caused the drowning, according to the report.
Later that evening, after deputies checked on Carter, he missed an appointment with a substance abuse counselor, according to the police report.
The next day, a person whom authorities at the time called a housekeeper but whom the report identifies in quotes as a “housekeeper” came to Carter’s house to offer her coffee. She let herself in when she received no response and heard her dogs barking, according to the report.
The woman found him submerged, wearing a t-shirt and necklace, in a Jacuzzi-style tub with the jets running, and called 911. The operator told her to pull him out and perform CPR, according to the report. The paramedics immediately declared him dead when they arrived.
Investigators found several prescription bottles and several scattered cans from an electronic feather duster he used to inhale.
The report refers to Carter as “a celebrity with a known history of substance abuse” who had “multiple interactions with local law enforcement regarding substance abuse.” He cited a particular history of inhalant abuse and a recent relapse.
Carter began performing as a child in the 1990s, opening bands such as his brother’s boy band and Britney Spears. His career peak came in 2000 with the triple platinum album “Aaron’s Party (Come Get It)”, which produced hit singles including the title track and “I Want Candy”.
He has also starred in TV shows such as “Lizzie McGuire” and appeared on the family reality show “House of Carters” and “Dancing With the Stars.”
Carter for years had been open about his substance abuse struggles, detailing his struggles with inhalants in a 2019 episode of the talk show “The Doctors.” He also said in the interview that he takes medication for acute anxiety and bipolar disorder.
Nick Carter said after the death of his younger brother, “I have always held out hope that he will one day, somehow, follow a healthy path and finally find the help he so desperately needs .”
___
Follow AP Entertainment writer Andrew Dalton on Twitter: https://twitter.com/andyjamesdalton