Getty Leslie Carter pictured in 2010.
Leslie Carter is the late sister of Aaron and Nick Carter. Leslie died tragically in 2012 following a drug overdose in Westfield, New York. She was 25 years old.
Leslie is the third child of Robert and Jane Elizabeth Carter. She was born in Tampa, Florida, the younger sister of Nick and BJ Carter, the older sibling of Aaron Carter and his twin sister, Angel. The Carter family was living and working at the Garden Villa Retirement Home when Leslie was born.
Like two of her siblings, Carter had been a singer and signed a record deal with Dreamworks when she was 13 years old in 1999. Ultimately, her album was never released and she left the label. Around the time of her death, Leslie had been trying to get her music career back on track. In 2006, Leslie appeared alongside the rest of her family in the reality show, “House of Carters.”
Here’s what you need to know:
1. Aaron Carter Says Leslie Carter Raped Him for 3 Years
GettyAaron Carter reacts after receiving a congratulation kiss from his sister Leslie Carter after winning an award for “Favorite Rising Star” at the Nickelodeon 14th Annual Kids’ Choice Awards 21 April 2001 in Santa Monica, California.
On the morning of September 19, Aaron Carter tweeted allegations against his sister, “my sister raped me from the age of 10 to 13 years old when she wasn’t on her medications and I was abused not only sexually by her but by my first two back up dancers when I was 8 years old. And my brother abused me my whole life.”
The day after those allegations were made, TMZ reported that Aaron’s family were attempting to get him into rehab. A few days before his tweets, Nick and Angel Carter had filed a restraining order against their brother. Nick Carter has accused his brother of having “thoughts and intentions” to kill the Backstreet Boys’ singer’s wife, Lauren Kitt. In an appearance on “The Doctors,” Aaron said that he had been diagnosed with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder and was taking many different medications.
Nick Carter’s lawyer told Fox News that the allegations Aaron made against his sister are “completely false” and “fabricated.”
2. Just Prior to Her Death, Aaron Carter Had Been Helping Her Sister With Her Addiction Problems
GettyNick Carter, Aaron Carter and Leslie Carter speak during the 2006 Summer Television Critics Association press tour for the E Entertainment Network at the Ritz Carlton Hotel on July 11, 2006 in Pasadena, California.
Aaron Carter told the Huffington Post in October 2016 that the week before his sister died, he had offered to pay for Leslie to go to drug rehabilitation. Aaron said his sister “wanted” to go into treatment. However, during that week, Aaron says his sister’s drug addiction spiraled out of control as her phone was cut off and she was out of contact from her family.
Aaron told CBS News in 2012 that he himself had gone to rehab. It was later reported that bottles of various prescription drugs were found close Leslie’s body. ABC News reported that Leslie’s grandmother, Ginger, told authorities that Leslie had “a long history of mental illness and was on medication for her depression.”
3. Leslie Carter Is Survived by Her Husband Mike Ashton & Daughter Alyssa
Leslie Carter married drummer Mike Ashton in 2008. Leslie gave birth to their first child, Alyssa, in 2011. People Magazine quoted a mourner at Leslie’s funeral as saying, “She loved being a mother, but now she won’t be here to see her little girl grow up.”
MySpace/Leslie CarterLeslie Carter and her husband.
Leslie and Ashton had been performing in the band, The Other Half, together when they met. Prior to her death, Leslie had moved to Toronto with her family. Aaron told the Huffington Post in 2016 that prior to her death, Leslie had left her husband. Until 2017, Ashton had possession of his wife’s ashes. They were scattered alongside her father, Bob’s, in the Florida Keys following his death in 2017.
4. Nick Carter Has Said in the Past That His Family Blamed Him for Leslie’s Death
In September 2013, Nick Carter appeared on “Dr. Phil” and said that he believed his family blamed him for Leslie’s untimely death. Due to this, Nick Carter said that he did not attend his sister’s funeral.
Nick Carter said his father called him to tell him Leslie and died and then, “Immediately the conversation turned into not about her death and not about the actual passing and what had occurred, (but) more about themselves. … And then I started to get blamed by the rest of the family.” Speaking separately to TMZ in 2012, Nick Carter said of his sister’s funeral, “I wanted to be at my sister’s funeral, but my family has always had a complicated dynamic. There are so many emotions for me surrounding the loss of my sister. I am trying to stay healthy, positive, and focused.”
In 2005, Leslie’s mother and matriarch of the Carter family, Jane, told ABC News that she was estranged from her entire family except for Leslie.
5. Leslie Carter’s Song, ‘Like Wow!,’ Appeared on the ‘Shrek’ Soundtrack
Leslie’s 2001 song “Like Wow!” appeared on the soundtrack for the Mike Myers’ movie, “Shrek.” The song was expected to be the first single from Leslie’s album of the same title but the album, which was due to be released in 2000, was permanently shelved. The album was later leaked online. A Village Voice review of “Like Wow!” called the song “1000% cute.” The song peaked at number 99 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Among the songs featured on the album was a cover of Kirsty MacColl’s “They Don’t Know.” In 2001, Leslie went on tour with Aaron, as well as boy band, LFO.
Leslie told MTV in 2001 that her favorite acts included Whitney Houston, Limp Bizkit, Kid Rock, and Britney Spears. She told the network, “I don’t listen to my brother’s music. You may think that I should, but that’s not the kind of music I like. Nick doesn’t even listen to his own music, only when he’s performing.” Leslie added that she wanted her second album to have more of a rock edge.
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