It seems that Aaron Carter's dying wish was to repair his relationship with his older brother, Nick, as he had apparently been "crying out" for his love for years.
Gary Madatyan — a longtime friend of the late star —claimed to a news publication that Aaron had an unhealthy "obsession" with the Backstreet Boys singer and often talked about trying to mend the brothers' relationship, right up until his untimely death on Saturday, November 5.
According to the "I'm All About You" singer's pal, Aaron's mental health put a major strain on his relationships with his family members, including on-again, off-again fiancée Melanie Martin. As he went in and out of rehab facilities over the years, Aaron still wanted to make a mends with the people closest to him; however, he seemingly never got the chance to before he was found dead in his bathtub at his home.
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"I wish he could have done a little more as a blood relative to Aaron," Gary said of Nick, before making it clear that he's "not judging him."
"I’m not saying anything bad because I respect him. He’s a talented artist. I love him, but Aaron had an obsession with his brother," Gary candidly pointed out, further explaining, "Mentally ill people think differently. He was … pushing, poking to get that attention."
Acknowledging that "Aaron did things he should have never done to his brother," Gary said, "but we’re talking about mental health. He was crying out for help."
Despite their apparent strained relationship, a rep for the 34-year-old claimed their client and Nick, 42, were "in a good place" before he was found unresponsive at his Lancaster, Calif., home, where several cans of compressed air and prescription pills were also discovered.
However, Gary hinted that the famous brothers' relationship still had ways to go, saying, "It just breaks my heart that nobody was there for him."
He also alleged that his best friend of 12 years grew wary over the past few months when new people began inserting themselves into his life amid his return to the music industry. "Different kinds of people were pulling him out and using his addiction and his mental illness," Gary told the news outlet. "They used his name for publicity."
“I said to him, ‘Look, I don’t like this. I love you so much and will do anything for you, but let me help you," Gary recalled of a conversation he had with Aaron. "This is not OK, brother. You’re not going on the right path with your life.'”
Aside from the people pushing their way in to Aaron's life, Gary said his friend was also deeply troubled by the ones keeping him at bay. Aaron's twin sister, Angel, and Nick filed a restraining order against the troubled star in 2019, which took a toll on him.
“He would say, [Nick] doesn’t want me to be successful … he hates me,'” Gary claimed. “I said, ‘I don’t think so. Maybe you should give it a try and talk to him.’ He wanted to repair that relationship but you can tell he was kind of really lonely.”
"He had already admitted he had abused drugs, admitted he has mental health issues, but no one came to just hold his hand. I’m not here to judge anyone, but if my brother had a mental illness, I would never put a restraining order on him," he continued. "That was really painful for him. Mental illness is not a choice."
Despite struggling with drug addiction and mental health, Aaron, according to his friend, never spoke about harming himself, as he had a love for life. "He would have never done suicide," insisted Gary.
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Gary claimed he tried to get Aaron to move back to Los Angeles so he could help him manage his life, but there were “other influences” around him. Nevertheless, Gary said he always let Aaron know he was there for him.
“I would always hug him and say to him, ‘You’re not alone, Aaron,'” he claimed. “But that wasn’t enough sometimes. I’m not angry at his family, but you know how much he loved [Nick]. When a blood relative , it means more than any friend around him."
Aaron's friend spoke to Page Six about the loss of his friend.
