EXL: Backstreet Boy's Nick Carter breaks down in tears on stage after his brother Aaron's death 

Nick Carter started sobbing on stage at London’s O2 on Sunday evening following the news that his brother Aaron was found dead in a bathtub at his California home a day earlier.

The singer, 42, performed with his band the Backstreet Boys as part of their DNA World Tour, less than 24 hours after discovering the tragic news.

He became emotional while singing his verse on their hit Show Me The Meaning of Being Lonely and was unable to finish. 

Emotional: Nick Carter started sobbing on stage at London's O2 on Sunday evening following the news that his brother Aaron had passed away

Emotional: Nick Carter started sobbing on stage at London’s O2 on Sunday evening following the news that his brother Aaron had passed away

His band mates were seen hugging and supporting him on stage, while Nick was seen with tears in his eyes before they paid tribute to Aaron.

‘Tonight we’ve got heavy hearts, because we lost one of our family members yesterday,’ Kevin Richardson told fans.

He continued: ‘We just wanted to find a moment in our show to recognise him. He’s apart of our family and we thank you guys for all your love and support.’

Awful: Aaron, 34, was found dead in his bathtub at his Lancaster, California home on Saturday (pictured with brother nick)

Awful: Aaron, 34, was found dead in his bathtub at his Lancaster, California home on Saturday (pictured with brother nick) 

Earlier in the day, the Backstreet Boys opening act confirmed that the gig would still go ahead.

KnowleDJ wrote on Instagram: ‘As far as I’m told the show is happening and I will be there tonight to do my set.

‘But I’d suggest checking the official sites to be sure just in case anything changes. Thanks for your patience and understanding and let’s all pray for Nick and his family.’

Brave: The singer, 42, performed with his band the Backstreet Boys as part of their DNA World Tour, less than 24 hours after discovering the tragic news

Brave: The singer, 42, performed with his band the Backstreet Boys as part of their DNA World Tour, less than 24 hours after discovering the tragic news

Support: His band mates were seen hugging and supporting him on stage, while Nick was seen with tears in his eyes before they paid tribute to Aaron

Support: His band mates were seen hugging and supporting him on stage, while Nick was seen with tears in his eyes before they paid tribute to Aaron

Hours earlier, Nick posted several throwback photos of the two of them together and wrote that his heart had been broken despite their complicated relationship, adding that his love for Aaron never faded.

Nick went on to write that he had ‘held onto hope’ that his brother would ‘someday want to walk a healthy path and eventually find the help he so desperately needed,’ but added that while it’s ‘easy to blame someone or something for loss,’ he wrote that ‘addiction and mental illness is the real villain here.’

Aaron, 34, was found dead in his bathtub at his Lancaster, California home on Saturday. 

Neighbours said a woman, believed to be the house sitter, answered the door screaming ‘he’s dead, he’s dead.’ In a 911 recording obtained by TMZ, the operator states that EMS units are needed at a residence for a ‘female yelling’ and there was a reference to ‘in the tub.’

Representatives for Carter’s family later confirmed the singer’s death. His cause of death has not been released. Carter’s fiancée Melinda Martin, who was spotted outside his house in tears, asked for privacy as the family grieves.

The singer’s death comes exactly a week after he tweeted that he had listed his nearly $800,000 house for sale, adding that he is ‘ready for a new chapter.’

Aaron and Nick had a tumultuous relationship in the years before the singer’s death, but Nick put that aside for a heartfelt tribute on Sunday about the tragic loss of his brother.

‘My heart has been broken today,’ Nick wrote. ‘Even though my brother and I have had a complicated relationship, my love for him has never ever faded. I have always held onto the hope, that he would somehow, someday want to walk a healthy path and eventually find the help that he so desperately needed.’

Tragic: Nick paid tribute to his younger brother Aaron on Sunday following the news that Aaron was found dead in a bathtub at his California home a day earlier at the age of 34

Tragic: Nick paid tribute to his younger brother Aaron on Sunday following the news that Aaron was found dead in a bathtub at his California home a day earlier at the age of 34

He ended the touching message with: 'I will miss my brother more than anyone will ever know. I love you Chizz., now you get a chance to finally have some peace you could never find here on earth¿.God,Please take care of my baby brother.'

He ended the touching message with: ‘I will miss my brother more than anyone will ever know. I love you Chizz., now you get a chance to finally have some peace you could never find here on earth….God,Please take care of my baby brother.’

He continued: ‘Sometimes we want to blame someone or something for a loss. But the truth is that addiction and mental illness is the real villain here.’

‘I will miss my brother more than anyone will ever know. I love you Chizz., now you get a chance to finally have some peace you could never find here on earth….God,Please take care of my baby brother.’

Carter also has two sisters, one of which is his twin, Angel, and Leslie, who passed away in 2012 at the age of 25 from a drug overdose.

Tragic: Aaron Carter (pictured), brother of famed pop icon and Backstreet Boys singer Nick Carter was 'found dead in his bathtub' at his home in Lancaster California. Neighbors heard someone screaming 'he's dead, he's dead'

Tragic: Aaron Carter (pictured), brother of famed pop icon and Backstreet Boys singer Nick Carter was ‘found dead in his bathtub’ at his home in Lancaster California. Neighbors heard someone screaming ‘he’s dead, he’s dead’ 

Law enforcement said they received a 911 call at 11am on Saturday, saying ‘a male had drowned in the tub.’ They were contacted by a house sitter, who had found his body, the sheriff’s department told DailyMail.com. 

Witnesses described a ‘chaotic’ scene at the singer’s house, with police cars, news vans, and people crowding in the streets to see what happened. 

Carter’s neighbor Tony Cheval, a local photojournalist, told the U.S Sun that his wife, who is a nurse encountered the screaming woman at Carter’s door. 

He explained that he heard on his police scanner that he uses for work a call come in for an unresponsive male in the bathtub at a house in their neighborhood.

Cheval’s wife, who is a nurse, rushed over to Carter’s home with her AED [automated external defibrillator] and banged on the door, he said.

‘A woman answered the door and was screaming ‘he’s dead, he’s dead’ but wouldn’t let us in because she’d already called the cops,’ he said. 

Struggles: Carter has previously credited his brother Nick for putting him through his first rehab stint

Struggles: Carter has previously credited his brother Nick for putting him through his first rehab stint

The neighbors later spoke to Carter’s devastated fiancée, Melanie Martin, who told them that the woman was the house sitter and was kept for questioning while Martin herself ‘waited for hours’ for information from police.

‘A woman answered the door and was screaming ‘he’s dead, he’s dead’ but wouldn’t let us in because she’d already called the cops.

‘I spoke to Melanie afterward and she said it was his maid, and questioned why she wouldn’t let us in.

‘Melanie drove up from Orange County, she was distraught.’

Another witness said to The U.S. Sun that Carter’s house sitter looked ‘shaken’ and spoke to police inside before being escorted out with belongings in bags.

The witness added: ‘The house-sitter was the only person behind the police tape for a long while.’

‘Melanie had to wait hours before police would even tell her anything, and she was desperate to see their many pet dogs still in the house.’

Homicide detectives were dispatched to the scene, but there is no information or evidence of foul play at this time. Emergency services were spotted outside the home, which has been cordoned off with police tape.

A coroner was seen removing Carter’s body from the home on Saturday afternoon.

On the market: A week before Aaron Carter's death, he posted on Twitter that the home, where his body was later found, was up for sale as he gets ready for the next chapter

On the market: A week before Aaron Carter’s death, he posted on Twitter that the home, where his body was later found, was up for sale as he gets ready for the next chapter

A week before Aaron Carter’s death, he posted on Twitter that the home, where his body was later found, was up for sale as he gets ready for the next chapter. 

‘Selling my 2nd home,’ Carter wrote in a tweet on October 29. ‘Real estate has been super good to me. Ready for a new chapter in my 3rd home which I plan on staying to make a beautiful life for my family.’

‘This year has been super tough but I’ve learned so much,’ he added. ‘Thanks for the support everyone.’

The massive seven-bedroom and four-bathroom house in Lancaster, California, boasts a custom-made outdoor swimming pool, walk-in pantry, and massive fireplace and is surrounded by palm trees.

The listing states: ‘Looking for Your Own Private Oasis! This Stunning Home Offers Numerous Enhancements. This Paradise Features a Custom IGG Pool & Spa Surrounded by Terraced Landscaping Romanced with Palm Trees, Luscious.’

‘The interior of the home features much sought after Amenities such as laminate flooring, upgraded light fixtures, recessed lighting, vaulted ceilings, large picture windows, and custom interior paint,’ the description of the home states. 

Carter had purchased the property in November 2020 for $620,000, The New York Post reported. He then listed it for sale three months later. It has been on and off the market ever since. 

‘The interior of the home features much sought after Amenities such as laminate flooring, upgraded light fixtures, recessed lighting, vaulted ceilings, large picture windows, and custom interior paint,’ the description of the home states, the description continues.

Home: The massive seven-bedroom and four-bathroom house in Lancaster, California, boasts a custom-made outdoor swimming pool, walk-in pantry, massive fireplace and is surrounded by palm trees

Home: The massive seven-bedroom and four-bathroom house in Lancaster, California, boasts a custom-made outdoor swimming pool, walk-in pantry, massive fireplace and is surrounded by palm trees 

Carter, who opened for the Backstreet Boys on a 1997 tour, shot to fame in the 90s releasing four studio albums, starting with his self-titled debut album in 1997 when he was only nine years old.

In the embattled rapper’s last performance before his untimely death, he can be heard singing that ‘he’ll be gone but it’s not for long’.

The video was posted to Instagram just a day before the shock announcement.

A close friend of Carter’s told The U.S. Sun that they believe he did not commit suicide and that he had been planning studio sessions with artists the following week for an album.

Carter had also told the friend that he was ‘excited’ to showcase new music and work with artists, who were traveling to Los Angeles specifically for a duet.

‘Any suggestion he was suicidal last night when he was in contact with his friends and team is wrong,’ the friend said. ‘Hearing the news this morning was absolutely devastating.’

The friend added that Carter had a good heart, was a talented artist and wanted to show the world that he was a ‘great father and continue strongly with his music career.’

He also added: ‘Aaron was always adamant he took medication and pills that were prescribed by doctors.

‘He would swear blind he did not take narcotics like cocaine.’

The 34-year-old notably battled addiction for many years, facing legal troubles and entering rehabilitation while continuing with his music career, according to E!.

In 2019, he revealed on ‘The Doctors’ that he was diagnosed with ‘multiple personality disorder, schizophrenia, acute anxiety and manic depression,’ according to CNN.

The troubled celebrity is survived by his son Prince.

A coroner brings Aaron Carter's body out from his home in Lancaster, California late Saturday

A coroner brings Aaron Carter’s body out from his home in Lancaster, California late Saturday

source: dailymail.co.uk