Autopsy results finally reveal what led to the sudden and tragic death of a Disney star months ago.
Musician and Disney Channel star Aaron Carter was found deceased in his home in Lancaster, California, in early November 2022 at the age of 34. The cause of his death was unknown, and an autopsy was performed to determine what led to the sudden passing of the young actor, musician, and father.
Credit: Rolling Stone
At the time of Carter's death, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department stated it had dispatched officers to the actor's home and that an investigation into the matter was underway.
Credit: TMZ
According to autopsy results released on Tuesday by the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office, Carter drowned in his home. Per the investigative report, the young singer was "found submerged under water and unresponsive in his bathtub." The report further states that on the day of the tragedy, "medics responded and pronounced death at the scene." Other contributing factors to Carter's death, per the report, included the effects of difluoroethane and alprazolam.
Carter began performing when he was only seven years old, and in 1997, at the age of only nine, he released his first self-titled debut album, which sold more than 1 million copies globally. His second album, titled Aaron's Party, released in 2000, sold more than 3 million copies. Shortly thereafter, he began making guest appearances on both Nickelodeon and Disney Channel, eventually securing a recurring role on Disney Channel's Lizzie McGuire.
Credit: Disney
RELATED: Disney Star Aaron Carter Dead at 34
Per ABC News, Carter's career only took off from there:
"As a singer, he would tour with his older brother, Backstreet Boys member Nick Carter, in the late 1990s. Carter's second album sold over 3 million copies, making it his most successful album to date. It included the cover "I Want Candy." In 2018, he released his fifth studio album, LØVË. Carter also appeared on Broadway in the musical "Seussical" and on [ABC] TV's Dancing With the Stars."
But by the late 2000s, things took a turn for the worse for Carter.
Carter had his first brush with the law in 2008, when he was only 21 years old. He was pulled over by police for speeding, and officers found marijuana in his vehicle. A year later, in 2009, Carter made an appearance on ABC's Dancing With the Stars, and fans took that as a sign that Carter had gotten his life back on track. Perhaps his encounter with the law a year earlier was an isolated incident of poor judgment.
Two years later, however, in 2011, Carter's fans were shocked and concerned when the singer checked himself into rehab for the first time. But several weeks later, he was back in the limelight, performing in an off-Broadway play and continuing work on his musical career.
Credit: TMZ
He and his fiance welcomed a son in late 2021, and in September 2022, Carter said he had checked himself into a month-long rehabilitation program after losing custody of his son.
Our thoughts are with his family during this difficult season.