Taking a reprieve. Nick Carter missed an appearance with the Backstreet Boys following the death of his little brother, Aaron Carter.
The boy band were scheduled as guests on the Friday, November 11, episode of the British talk show This Morning to chat about their new Christmas album and upcoming 30th anniversary. The Florida native, 42, was not present — and host Alison Hammond acknowledged his absence.
“Of course, we are sending all our love to Nick Carter who wasn’t able to be there for family reasons as we all know but gave the boys his blessing to go ahead with the interview,” Hammond said as she was joined by Howie Dorough, AJ McLean, Brian Littrell and Kevin Richardson.
The “I Want Candy” artist died on Saturday, November 5, at the age of 34 at his California home, a rep confirmed to Us Weekly. While the pop star’s cause of death has yet to be released, Aaron was candid about his struggles with substance abuse and mental health.
Nick addressed his brother’s death the following morning, alluding to the challenges he faced since his rise to stardom in the early 2000s.
“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,” the BSB singer wrote via Instagram on Sunday, November 6. “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 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. 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.”
That night, Nick and his band performed a tribute to the late rapper during their concert at the O2 Arena in London. While their song “No Place” played, a montage of photos showing the siblings was displayed on the giant screens. The House of Carters star was emotional on stage while Richardson, 51, spoke to the crowd.
“That song is very special to us because that song is about family,” the Kentucky native said. “Everybody in here, we all grew up together. We’ve been through highs and lows, ups and downs. You guys have been through it with us; we’ve been through it with you. We thank you for taking us on that journey with you. We thank you for being a part of the Backstreet family for 29 years. We thank you for all the love for all the years.”