Inside Aaron Carter's Sad Spiral Before His Tragic Death at 34: Drug Use, 'Anger' and PTSD
Aaron Carter died in 2022 at 34 years old.
Nov. 4 2026, Published 7:42 p.m. ET
Aaron Carter shot to fame at a young age with the release of his 1997 self-titled album, but his short life was mired with severe personal problems.
Ahead of the fourth anniversary of the singer's tragic death at 34, RadarOnline.com revisits his struggles with substance abuse what he said about his mental health.
Aaron Carter Struggled With His Mental Health From a Young Age
Aaron Carter was famous before he was 10 years old.
Carter struggled with his mental health over the years. During a 2019 episode of The Doctors, he revealed that he'd been diagnosed with several disorders throughout his life.
"The official diagnosis is that I suffer from multiple personality disorder, schizophrenia, acute anxiety; I’m manic depressive," he explained at the time. "I’m prescribed to Xanax, Seroquel, gabapentin, hydroxyzine, trazodone, omeprazole."
He also previously disclosed that he had PTSD.
In a 2017 sit-down with a publication, Carter even said he'd feared in the past that he would die "by 30."
"Even when I was 13, 14, I thought, ‘Oh, my God. I’m going to die,'" he explained. "Life was pretty tough. I dealt with a lot of trauma, a lot of loss, a lot of loneliness. I just felt like I needed to get away."
Aaron Carter's Substance Abuse
Aaron Carter admitted to using illicit substances from teenhood.
The late Aaron's Party singer was also open about his battles with addiction, including huffing inhalants from around 16 years old.
"I was huffing because I was really f---ing stupid and sad, but this is really no excuse," he explained on The Doctors. "I was huffing because I'm a drug addict."
Over the years, he also struggled with opioid and alcohol use.
In 2017, he was also arrested for misdemeanor DUI and alleged possession of marijuana and drug-related objects.
'A Very Angry Man'
A friend claimed Aaron Carter became 'angry' over the years.
As Carter's private issues escalated, it allegedly affected him emotionally, according to a friend who spoke out after his 2017 arrest.
"Aaron is a very angry man," the pal told Radar at the time. "He’s gone from topping the charts to performing in malls. His life is not where he wants it to be."
Aaron Carter Died at 34
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Aaron Carter died by accidental drowning.
On November 5, 2022, Carter was found dead in his bathtub at his Lancaster, California, home. He was only 34.
Medical examiners later confirmed that he died by accidental drowning "due to the effects of difluoroethane (aerosol propellant found in spray cans) and alprazolam (commonly referred to as Xanax)."
His sister, Angel, later spoke out on his death in October 2024 at a benefit concert supporting children's mental health. "I know Aaron better than anybody, and that is exactly what he, in his right mind, would have wanted to do (with his platform)," she said in an interview at the time. "Unfortunately, because of mental health issues and drug addiction and dysfunction within the family, he lost sight of who he was. I hope to be a vessel for him to continue that conversation and really turn my family's narrative around. That's what it's about now, and we're going to help so many people."
He left behind his son, Prince, whom he shared with his ex-fiancée, Melanie Martin.
