Aaron Carter, the former child pop star known for his albums Aaron's Party and LØVË, has died. He was 34.
The musician was found dead Saturday morning at his house in Lancaster, Calif., according to TMZ, who first reported the news. A spokesperson for the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department tells a body was discovered just before 11 a.m., but police did not officially identify the victim.
A rep for Carter declined to comment but noted "a statement will be released shortly by the family and management. Thank you for your understanding during this difficult time."
Aaron, who is the younger brother of Backstreet Boys' Nick Carter, rose to fame in 1997 with his self-titled debut album, followed by Aaron's Party (Come Get It) (2000), Oh Aaron (2001) and Another Earthquake! (2002).
His early hits included "Aaron's Party (Come Get It)," "That's How I Beat Shaq" and his cover of The Strangeloves' "I Want Candy." Aaron opened on tour for the Backstreet Boys and Britney Spears before embarking on his first solo tour in 2000.
In recent years, Aaron pivoted to rap and released his fifth and final studio album LØVË in 2018, 16 years after his previous album.
The young multi-hyphenate was also an actor, appearing as himself in such shows as Lizzie McGuire and Sabrina the Teenage Witch, as well as roles in 7th Heaven and the movies Fat Albert (2004), Popstar (2005) and Supercross (2005).
Additionally, he made his Broadway debut as JoJo in Seussical the Musical back in 2001, and he appeared in a 2011 Off-Broadway production of The Fantasticks.
Aaron appeared alongside Nick, 42, their three siblings Bobbie Jean, Leslie and Angel in their short-lived 2006 E! reality show House of Carters, and he competed on season 9 of Dancing with the Stars in 2009, coming in 5th with partner Karina Smirnoff.
Before coming out as bisexual in 2017, Aaron dated such stars as Hilary Duff and Lindsay Lohan in his youth. He got engaged to model Melanie Martin in 2020 and they welcomed a baby boy named Prince, 11 months, last November.
"I'm going to be a good father. I know it," he told PEOPLE in 2018. "I want lots of kids, lots of stability, lots of happiness and laughter and learning and having fun. It's going to be good."
The on-and-off couple called off their engagement a week later before getting back together in December and breaking up again in February.
Aaron faced legal troubles, as well as struggles with addiction and mental health over the years, for which he sought treatment. Most recently, he was pulled over for suspicion of DUI on Tuesday but officers found that he wasn't under the influence after conducting a field sobriety test, according to TMZ.
"I'm happy that I came out on the other side," Aaron told PEOPLE in 2018. "I was a very happy baby growing up. [Now] I just want to have fun, be healthy — mind, body, soul, emotions … all of those things, and really be responsible for my own actions too."
