Curse of the Carter family: How family has been dogged by drugs and heartache as three of Nick Carter’s four younger siblings, including sisters Bobbie Jean and Leslie, and brother Aaron have all died from overdoses

The Carter family, whose brothers Nick and Aaron were mainstays of pop music in the 1990s and early 2000s, have been plagued by drug problems, heartache and accusations since their heyday.

In the wake of the broadcast of the Investigation Discovery documentary Fallen Idols, in which numerous women made accusations against Nick, the various tragedies faced by the Carter family are back in the spotlight.

Nick and Aaron were two of five children born to Bob Carter and the couple’s “momager” Jane Schneck. Nick is the eldest, followed by sister Bobbie Jean, then sister Leslie, Aaron and his twin sister Angel.

After starting their family in upstate New York where they ran a bar called Yankee Rebel in the community of Westfield, they decided when their children were young to move to the Tampa area of ​​Florida to run a retirement home.

Nick Carter rose to superstardom as a member of the Backstreet Boys in the 1990s, while Aaron’s career skyrocketed with 2000’s chart-topping hit I Want Candy.

Their parents separated in 2004 and a year later, Jane was arrested for assaulting her estranged husband’s new girlfriend and future wife, Ginger Elrod. No charges were filed, but a restraining order was issued.

While both of the brother’s music careers failed, the family became stars on the reality show House of Carter, which launched in 2006.

The siblings’ upbringing and tricky dynamics were documented in E! show, House of Carters, which featured physical fights between Nick and Aaron, BJ’s alcohol problem, and the family seeking therapy to heal their wounds while living together in LA for two months.

In 2012, Leslie Carter, star of the family’s reality show, slipped and fell in the shower. Shortly after the accident, she took a nap and tragically never woke up. She was 25 years old.

A note on her hospital chart indicated that drugs were a factor in her death. A subsequent report revealed that she had Xanax, Zyprexa and a muscle relaxant in her system at the time of her death.

Her funeral made headlines, especially when it was discovered that Nick was absent. During an interview with Dr. Phil told Nick that when he was told about her death, he felt like his family immediately tried to blame him for the tragedy.

In 2017, Bob Carter died of a suspected heart attack at the age of 65.

Ten years later, Aaron Carter was found dead in eerily similar circumstances to his sister, when he was found lifeless in a bathtub in his home after consuming the generic form of the brand name Xanax.

His death was listed as accidental drowning. He was 34 years old.

Aaron’s struggle with drugs was well known and around the time of his death. He spoke openly about his struggles in an interview with People Magazine in 2018.

‘I’m glad I came out the other side. I was a very happy baby growing up. [Now] “I just want to have fun, be healthy – mind, body, soul, emotions… all those things, and also be really responsible for my own actions,” the former teen idol said.

However, just a year later, Nick filed a restraining order against Aaron, claiming that he had threatened to kill his pregnant wife and unborn child.

“After careful consideration, my sister Angel and I regret that today we had to file for a restraining order against our brother Aaron,” Nick wrote at the time. “We had no choice but to take all possible measures to protect ourselves and our families.”

He added that he still loved Aaron and hoped he would “get the proper treatment he needs before harm is done to himself or anyone else.”

Aaron responded to the restraining order at the time by tweeting, “So my brother just got a restraining order against me. And I just got served lol.”

‘Greetings. @NickCarter we are set for life,” he continued. ‘I haven’t seen him in four years. And I don’t intend to… I’m surprised at the accusations being made against me, and I don’t want to hurt anyone, especially my family.”

In the aftermath of Aaron’s death, a family friend said Page six that he felt Nick could have done more to help his younger brother navigate the world of celebrity.

‘If I want [Nick] could have done something more as a kinsman of Aaron. I don’t judge him. I don’t say anything bad because I respect him. He is a talented artist. I love him, but Aaron had an obsession with his brother,” Gary Madatyan said.

The most recent tragedy to hit the family occurred in December 2023 when Bobbie Jean, 41, was found dead in the bathroom of her Tampa home.

Her cause of death was listed as “intoxication from the combined effects of fentanyl and methamphetamine,” according to the Hillsborough County Medical Examiner’s Office. She is survived by her daughter Bella.

Bobbie Jean wasn’t really in the public eye, but she did work as a stylist to her younger brother, Aaron, in the 2000s.

Family matriarch Jane Carter released a statement around the time Bobbie Jean asked for time to grieve privately.

At the time of her death, Bobbie Jean was on probation for cocaine possession when she died, according to police, but her roommates told them she had not used narcotics since her release.

Just a few weeks after the tragedy, Nick posted on Instagram: “It may take a lifetime to fully process the loss my family has suffered over the years – most recently, with the sudden passing of our sister Bobbie Jean.”

Alongside the statement, he posted a photo of the pair playing together as children.

Aaron’s twin sister, Angel, gave an emotional interview to CBS Morning’s Gayle King in April, in which she spoke about the family’s tragedies.

“There’s definitely a generational problem,” Angel said of her sibling’s death. “But as far as growing up, there was a time when we were a very close family… there was a lot of love.”

“But at the same time there was a lot of chaos,” she added.

“Just fighting,” she continued. ‘My parents were fighting all the time. Just a disturbance in the house. No limits. No stability. No one to talk to. It just felt like if I had a problem, I really couldn’t have my parents to lean on.”

When asked if fame exacerbated family problems, Angel replied: “Yes, I do.”

In Fallen Idols, even more demons are revealed when three female interviews accuse Nic of sexual misconduct: Melissa Schuman, Ashley Repp and Shay Ruth.

Carter denies all allegations against him and claims the sex abuse accusers were “orchestrated” to extort him. His attorney Dale Hayes Jr. told People that the claims are “outrageous.”

The star’s countersuit against his accusers for defamation is still pending in court, with his lawyer adding in a statement: “These cases are now working their way through the legal system, and based on both the initial court rulings Given the overwhelming evidence, we are confident that we will prevail and hold them accountable for spreading these falsehoods.”