Singer Aaron Carter accidentally drowned in bathtub, coroner report says

Oct 20, 2023

Mixture of sedatives and gas used in spray cleaners incapacitated the rapper and caused the drowning

Singer and rapper Aaron Carter accidentally drowned in his bathtub due to sedatives he’d taken and gas used in spray cleaners he had inhaled, according to a coroner's report released on Tuesday.

Carter was found submerged and dead at age 34 in the bathtub of his home in Lancaster, California, on 5 November, the autopsy report from the Los Angeles county medical examiner-coroner said.

The sedative alprazolam, often sold under the brand name Xanax, was found in his system, as was difluoroethane, which the report says is "a gas commonly used as a propellant in air spray cleaners", which "can induce feelings of euphoria when inhaled".

The two substances incapacitated him in the tub, and caused the drowning, the report said.

The autopsy was performed the day after Carter's death, but the results were withheld for toxicology tests, which often take months.

Carter, the younger brother of the Backstreet Boys’ Nick Carter, was a former child star and global pop sensation whose greatest hits included I Want Candy, Aaron's Party (Come Get It) and That's How I Beat Shaq. Carter supported the Backstreet Boys on tour and had a successful solo career, releasing his debut album at age nine. His second album, Aaron's Party (Come Get It), was released in 2000 and went triple platinum. The former child star's relationship with his family grew strained later in life; he filed for bankruptcy in 2013, and enrolled in rehab several times.

The Associated Press contributed reporting