On November 5th, 2022, Aaron Carter passed away. The pop star, actor, and younger brother of Backstreet Boys member, Nick Carter, Aaron found success in Europe and the United States in the late 90s and early 2000’s. Like many child stars, Aaron’s journey through life was filled with controversy including financial hardships, legal battles, and drug use.
We are sad to report that ultimately, it was the latter of those issues that contributed to his passing.
It’s not easy to report on a subject like this since the details of anyone’s death can be hard to read and arguably better left unknown. But there’s also an importance in understanding why someone as young as Carter was should have their life end so early. The initial reports were that he was found, drowned in his own bathtub. At only 34 years old, this is not a fate that should befall anyone, yet alone someone his age. Naturally when something like this occurs, there’s an inclination to believe drugs are involved and the coroner’s report confirmed this.
Toxicology reports indicate that Carter had a combination of alprazolam (largely known as Xanax) and difluoroethane. The latter of these is a gas used as a propellant in aerosol cans. This gas in particular is often found in spray cleaners like you might use to clean a keyboard. The day prior to his passing, police had reported to Carter’s residence to perform a wellness check after he had posted an Instagram live video. In said video, Carter could be allegedly heard “huffing” the gasses. And upon finding him after he had passed, police reported a number of prescription pill bottles and multiple cans of sprayable electronic dusters.
The drugs themselves were not ultimately what killed Carter, they just rendered him unconscious while he was in the tub, resulting in an accidental drowning. A similar cause of death befell Whitney Houston in 2012 when she was found unconscious in her tub along with numerous drugs in her system.
It’s a sad reminder that the United States does not do enough to try and treat psychological ailments.
The National Institute on Drug Abuse cites approximately 100-200 deaths per year resulting from huffing in the United States. Maybe if people knew it contributed to a tragic death such as Aaron Carter’s, it could do something to prevent other’s from losing their lives. As we said before, we hope that Aaron’s family and loved ones can find peace as they continue to grieve and process this tragedy.
