According to a longtime friend of the late star, the 'Crush on You' singer was also 'really struggling' with his sister Leslie Carter's 2012 death and had a hard time because he couldn't see his son Prince.
- Nov 9, 2022
AceShowbiz - Aaron Carter's longtime friend has detailed his final days leading to his tragic passing. Gary Madatyan, the singer's friend of more than a decade, revealed in an interview that the late star was struggling financially before he was found lifeless in a bathtub on Saturday, November 5.
"It was really bad. He couldn't manage his money. There was nobody there to manage his money," Gary told ET's Kevin Frazier. "... He was financially doing really bad, very bad... He needed someone to be there for him."
But that was only the tip of the iceberg. According to Gary, Aaron was "really struggling" with his sister Leslie Carter's 2012 death, while also dealing with reportedly being estranged from much his family. Making it worse, he had a hard time because of his ongoing custody issues surrounding his and Melanie Martin's almost 1-year-old son Prince.
"I think he was doing OK until this child custody case came in," Gary said. "He was very heartbroken that he couldn't see his child and had a lot of meetings with his attorneys."
Gary, who was aware of Aaron's alleged inhalant abuse but never witnessed it in person, said he and Melanie were worried about the singer's huffing before he died. "There was a time he was doing it on Instagram. As soon as I saw it, me and Melanie, we got in on a text message saying, 'This is bad. This is not good.' We were very worried about him," he recalled.
The friend went on speaking of Aaron's addiction issue, "... It was really bad... He looked terrible. He lost so much weight. He was not acting normal. His mind was not there... I heard he's taking a lot of medication, not specifically illegal drugs, but he was on a lot of medication."
Gary said he "had a conversation" with Aaron about him seeking help for his addiction and mental health issues, but it was to no avail. "He said, 'What do you want me to do?' I said, 'Can we please check you into rehab?'... He goes, 'OK, I'll do it. Just give me a week and I'll do it. Give me two weeks and I'll do it.' It never happened," Gary detailed their conversation. "... I think the mental illness he has and the addiction he had I think was controlling his life. Aaron also was very lonely person in his mind."
Gary also described the scene when he and Melanie arrived at Aaron's house after he was found dead. "When I got there, the house was completely closed. We couldn't get into the house. The police were doing the investigation and the body was still in the house," he shared.
"After they removed the body from the house, they allowed just a few people to get into the house. We just wanted to go in there and see if any blood or any alcohol or anything was in the house," he continued, noting that he saw aerosol cans in Aaron's home. "I went to his bedroom, the bedroom was normal," he added. "I went to the bathroom where the bathtub was full of water, like, yellowish color."
As for what he believes happened to Aaron, Gary weighed in, "I personally think he was on medication and had fallen asleep in a bathtub... I think it's a tragic accident, because he loved life. He had so many plans. Even though he had mental issues, addiction, he loved life."
Gary then shared what he would like to say to his late friend if he were still here today, "I love you and I will always be by his son's side. I will always do my best for him, to give him the most beautiful childhood... I will do everything for him in this world to make him happy."
Aaron had been open about his addiction issue. Months before his death, he said in the pilot episode of "K'LA Afterdark" talk show that he had finally got rehab "right." In September, Aaron was back in rehab for the fifth time, but said it was to tackle his "triggers" and not because he had relapsed.
Meanwhile, Melanie has claimed that she "tried everything" to help Aaron before his death. "My heart is completely broken over the passing of my fiance Aaron. I knew he was struggling, and I tried everything to help him. He has a very independent and strong personality, and I couldn't help him in the way I felt he needed it," she said in a statement to PEOPLE magazine.
She added, "I only wish I had more people to help me with him. I will now be raising our son as a single mother and this is the worst day of my life, but I have to be strong for our son."
