Pixabay The family of a deceased DWTS alum is speaking out.
The family of “Dancing With the Stars” alum Aaron Carter believes that he died following a drug overdose.
The entertainer, who appeared on season 9 of the dance competition show, was found dead in the bathtub in his California home in November 2022, according to TMZ.
“My fiancé Aaron Carter has passed away. I love Aaron with all my heart and it’s going to be a journey to raise a son without a father. Please respect the privacy of my family as we come to terms with the loss of someone we love greatly. We are still in the process of accepting this unfortunate reality. Your thoughts and prayers are greatly appreciated,” Carter’s fiancee Melanie Martin told the outlet in a statement at the time.
Shortly after his death was confirmed, the Los Angeles County Medical-Examiner Coroner’s office said it needed to hold off on the singer’s official cause of death pending further investigation, according to Deadline.
Flash forward two months and the Carter family is speaking out about what they think happened to the 34-year-old.
Here’s what you need to know:
No Water Was Found in Aaron Carter’s Lungs
As part of the probe into how Carter died, the medical examiner told the family that there wasn’t any water in Carter’s lungs, which means that he didn’t drown to death, according to TMZ. Given that piece of information, both Carter’s fiancee and his mom believe that he died following a drug overdose.
TMZ’s report indicates that text messages found on Carter’s phone suggest that he owed someone some $800 for an “unknown substance.” The text messages were turned over to law enforcement and the family is hoping to get to the bottom of the back and forth to see what the substance may have been and whether or not it was the actual cause of Carter’s untimely death.
Meanwhile, Carter’s official cause of death is still pending a toxicology report, according to Martin, who spoke with Us Weekly.
“The coroner is not saying what caused him to die. They are not telling me if he had a heart attack, a stroke or if he drowned. They didn’t tell me anything … they have to wait for the toxicology report,” she told the outlet on January 17, 2023.
Aaron Carter’s Family Has Been Keeping His Memory Alive
As the coroner continues the investigation into Carter’s death, Martin has been posting tributes to her beau on Instagram fairly regularly.
“If love could have saved you, you would have lived forever,” she captioned a post on January 10, 2023.
In addition, Carter’s older brother Nick Carter wrote a song dedicated to his late brother.
“Fеlt lіkе wе’vе bееn thrоugh ѕоmе wаrѕ tоgеthеr / Nоbоdу еlѕе саn undеrѕtаnd / Wееkѕ аnd mаnу nіghtmаrеѕ tо rеmеmbеr / Вut thаt wаѕ rеаl lіfе bасk thеn,” read the lyrics of “Hurts to Love You.”
“Аlwауѕ hореd уоur tоmоrrоw / Wоuld bе bеttеr thаn thе dауѕ bеfоrе / І hореd уоu’d fіnd уоur rоаd tо fоllоw / То а рlасе уоu wеrе hарру іn thіѕ wоrld,” the lyrics continue.
Additionally, Aaron Carter’s twin sister Angel teamed up with Nick Carter, Lance Bass, and others to host a tribute concert called “Songs for Tomorrow” on January 18, 2023.
READ NEXT: Mirrorball Winner ‘Terrified’ as She Takes on a New Challenge