The Carter family, whose brothers Nick and Aaron were pop music mainstays of the ’90s and early ’00s, have been dogged by drug problems, heartbreak and accusations since their heyday.
Following the airing of the Investigation Discovery documentary Fallen Idols, in which numerous women made accusations against Nick, the various tragedies that have plagued the Carter family are once again in the spotlight.
Nick and Aaron were two of the five children of Bob Carter and the couple’s ‘mother’, Jane Schneck. Nick is the oldest, followed by his sister Bobbie Jean, then his sister Leslie, Aaron, and his twin sister Angel.
Having started their family in upstate New York, where they ran a bar called Yankee Rebel in the Westfield community, when their children were young they decided to move to the Tampa area of Florida to run a nursing home.
Nick Carter rose to stardom as a member of the Backstreet Boys in the 1990s, while Aaron’s career skyrocketed with I Want Candy, which topped the charts in 2000.
The Carter family has been plagued by tragedy since the musical success of brothers Nick and Aaron in the 1990s and 2000s.
Jane and Bob Carter, the parents of Carter’s five children, pictured here in 2001. The couple separated in 2004. Bob passed away in 2017.
Bobbie Jean, like her brother Aaron and sister Leslie, struggled with substance abuse. Leslie died of a drug overdose at age 25 in 2012. Leslie, (center) died of a drug overdose in 2012 at age 25. Aaron passed away from accidental drowning due to drug use in November 2022 (pictured in 2006)
Her parents separated in 2004 and a year later Jane was arrested for attacking her ex-husband’s new girlfriend and future wife, Ginger Elrod. No charges were filed but a restraining order was imposed.
When both brothers’ music careers failed, the family became stars of the reality show House of Carter, which launched in 2006.
The siblings’ upbringing and conflictive dynamics were documented on E! show, House of Carters, which featured physical fights between Nick and Aaron, BJ’s problem with alcohol, and the family going to therapy to heal their wounds while they lived together for two months in Los Angeles.
In 2012, family reality show star Leslie Carter slipped and fell in the shower. Shortly after the accident, she went to take a nap and, tragically, never woke up. She was 25 years old.
A note written in his hospital chart indicated that drugs had been a factor in his death. A later report found that he had Xanax, Zyprexa and a muscle relaxant in his system at the time of his death.
His funeral made the news, especially when Nick was discovered to be absent. During an interview with Dr. Phil, Nick said that when he was told of his death, he felt like his family was immediately trying to blame him for the tragedy.
In 2017, Bob Carter died at the age of 65 from a suspected heart attack.
In 2012, family reality show star Leslie Carter slipped and fell in the shower. Shortly after the accident, she went to take a nap and, tragically, never woke up again.
The most recent tragedy to hit the family occurred in December 2023 when 41-year-old Bobbie Jean, shown here in 2006, was found dead in the bathroom of her Tampa home.
“There’s certainly an issue of generational dysfunction that goes along with it,” Aaron’s twin Angel, shown here, said of her brother’s death.
Ten years later, Aaron Carter was found dead under eerily similar circumstances to his sister, as he was found dead in a bathtub at his home after consuming the generic form of brand name Xanax.
His death was classified as accidental drowning. He was 34 years old.
Aaron’s battles with drugs were public knowledge at the time of his death. He spoke openly about his struggles in an interview with People magazine in 2018.
‘I’m happy to have come out on the other side. I was a very happy baby growing up. (Now) I just want to have fun, be healthy: mind, body, soul, emotions… all those things, and be really responsible for my own actions too,” the former teen idol said.
However, just a year later, Nick filed a restraining order against Aaron, alleging that he threatened to kill his pregnant wife and unborn child.
“After careful consideration, my sister Angel and I are sorry that today we had to file for a restraining order against our brother Aaron,” Nick wrote at the time. “We were left with no choice but to take every measure possible to protect ourselves and our family.”
She added that she still loved Aaron and hoped he received “the proper treatment he needs before any harm comes to him or anyone else.”
Aaron responded to the restraining order at the time by tweeting, “So my brother just got a restraining order against me.” And they just served me hahaha.’
‘Take care. @NickCarter, we’re done for life,” he continued. “I haven’t seen him in four years. And I don’t mean to… I’m shocked by the accusations being made against me and I wish no harm on anyone, especially me family.’
BJ died of a fentanyl and methamphetamine overdose at age 41 in December 2023, following the heartbreaking losses of 25-year-old Leslie in 2012 and 34-year-old Aaron in 2022 (BJ, Leslie and Aaron appear in the photo from 2006).
After Aaron’s death, a family friend told him Page six that he felt Nick could have done more to help his younger brother navigate the world of celebrity.
‘I wish (Nick) could have done a little more as a blood relative of Aaron. I’m not judging him. I don’t say anything bad because I respect him. He is a talented artist. I love him, but Aaron was obsessed with his brother,” said Gary Madatyan.
The most recent tragedy to hit the family occurred in December 2023 when Bobbie Jean, 41, was found dead in the bathroom of her Tampa home.
His cause of death was listed as “intoxication from the combined effects of fentanyl and methamphetamine,” according to the Hillsborough County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner. He is survived by his daughter Bella.
Bobbie Jean wasn’t really in the public eye, but she worked as a stylist for her younger brother, Aaron’s, in the 2000s.
Family matriarch Jane Carter issued a statement around the time Bobbie Jean asked for time to grieve in private.
At the time of her death, Bobbie Jean was on probation for cocaine possession when she died, according to authorities, but her roommates had told them that she had not used any narcotics since leaving prison.
Just weeks after the tragedy, Nick posted on Instagram: “It may take us a lifetime to fully process the loss my family has suffered over the years, most recently with the sudden passing of our sister Bobbie Jean”.
In the wake of Aaron’s death, a family friend said he felt Nick could have done more to help his brother navigate show business.
Along with the statement, he posted a photo of the couple playing together as children.
Aaron’s twin sister, Angel, gave an emotional interview to CBS Morning’s Gayle King in April in which she opened up about the family’s tragedies.
“There’s certainly an issue of generational dysfunction that goes along with it,” Angel said of his brother’s death. “But as far as growing up, there was a time when we were a very close-knit family… there was a lot of love.”
“But at the same time there was a lot of chaos,” he added.
“We just fight,” he continued. ‘My parents were fighting all the time. Just dysfunction at home. Unlimited. No stability. No one to talk to. I just felt like if I had a problem, I couldn’t really have my parents to lean on.”
When asked if fame aggravated family problems, Angel responded: “Yes, yes.”
On Fallen Idols, more demons are revealed when three interviewed women accuse Nic of sexual misconduct: Melissa Schuman, Ashley Repp, and Shay Ruth.
Carter denies all allegations against him, claiming that his sexual assault accusers were “orchestrated” to extort him, and his attorney Dale Hayes Jr. told People that the allegations are “outrageous.”
The star’s countersuit against his accusers for defamation is still pending in court, and his lawyer added in a statement: “Such cases are working their way through the legal system now and, based on both the initial court rulings and the evidence overwhelming, we can We fully believe that we will prevail and hold them accountable for spreading these falsehoods.’