[Warning: Potentially Triggering Content]
Aaron Carter was having a tough time, at least physically, days before his death. Almost two weeks after the pop star’s tragic death, his manager Taylor Helgeson is opening up about what his last few days were like. Speaking to Page Six on Thursday, Taylor revealed the 34-year-old was not doing so well from the looks of it, saying:
“He looked thin. He was extremely tired.”
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While he was passionate about his work endeavors up until his death, his team felt he needed to take a break, as Taylor added:
“He just looked like he needed to be doing anything but working. He looked like he needed to be taking care of him.”
The manager, who began working for the former child star eight months before his death, met up with the I Want Candy vocalist at a music studio the week he passed away because they had plans to work on a new album together. But when the Big Umbrella Management exec saw Aaron’s appearance, he became concerned and confused because his declining physical health didn’t match his upbeat attitude:
“He didn’t seem okay. Now, when I say that, I think it’s really important to kind of context that. He didn’t seem okay physically … [but] mentally, he was the most excited I’ve seen him in months. He was very intelligent and he was very conscious of what people wanted to see from him.”
Oof. We hate to hear he was struggling.
While the House of Carters alum’s cause of death is still under investigation, Taylor does not believe he was contemplating suicide because of how excited he was for his plans for the future. He explained:
“He was a guy with a lot of plans. We had so much stuff going on and, you know, Aaron was a really prideful guy in his own right, too. That’s not his style.”
Still, Aaron had a known challenge with mental health and addiction. According to law enforcement sources who spoke to TMZ earlier this month, cans of compressed air and prescription pills were discovered on the scene of his Lancaster, California home, where he was found dead in the tub.
Interestingly, Aaron’s struggles with addiction were the main point of contention between him and his manager, who wanted him to check into an inpatient rehab program, revealing:
“We were proposing [what] would have been … three months in Utah just on detoxing and kind of formulating new physical habits within your body.”
The Aaron’s Party artist was also in the midst of a child custody battle with on-again, off-again fiancé, Melanie Martin, over their son Prince, 11 months. While the OnlyFans star didn’t check into an inpatient program, in September, he announced he had checked into an outpatient program to help his case. Taylor detailed their argument, saying:
“[Carter] was saying, ‘I’m going to get my kid back and then I’m going to do this,’ and I was saying, ‘If you do this, I’m definitely going to get you your kid back,’ and that was the disagreement.”
The manager went on to insist Prince was always at the forefront of Aaron’s mind, no matter what was going on in his life. But in the middle of this year, the 7th Heaven actor admitted he hadn’t “slept in a couple of days” and was “stressed out.” But after catching up on his rest, Aaron asked his manager to help him create a will (which he never completed):
“I was like, ‘You need a will,’ so I reached out to my publicist at that time, and I had asked her to help with getting the paperwork. And so we started getting that together and we got the paperwork out and it never got signed. It never got filled out.”
Since Aaron never set one up, this means it will now be up to the State of California to determine who will inherit his estate, per TMZ.
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Taylor also addressed the many unauthorized projects in the works, including the now-delayed memoir by journalist Andy Symonds and publisher Ballast Books which was slammed by Carter’s camp and ex-girlfriend Hilary Duff. There were also rumors unfinished music was set to be released as well. On this, he shared:
“Aaron is signed to Sony. Aaron is not an independent artist and all releases that Aaron does need to be approved by the label period.”
When (and if) the time comes to share the work with the world, Big Umbrella Management will do whatever it can to make sure it benefits Carter’s family:
“What matters is that when it goes through the correct channels, we are then able to be a part of making sure that what comes from that music goes to the right places, i.e. his son.”
At this time, the team does not have any plans on focusing on the release of any of Aaron’s unfinished projects, he insisted:
“Right now, we are grieving and we are not interested in projects.”
Honestly, that’s probably for the best. Releasing anything right now would feel disrespectful to Aaron’s family and friends who are trying to mourn his loss. And if anything should be released following his death, it should be handled with the utmost care — and not as an attempt to profit off of this heartbreaking loss. Thoughts, Perezcious readers?
If you or someone you know is experiencing substance abuse, help is available. Consider checking out the resources SAMHSA provides at https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/national-helpline. If you or someone you know is contemplating suicide, help is available. Consider contacting the the National Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988, or text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741, or go to suicidepreventionlifeline.org.
[Image via WENN & Aaron Carter/Instagram]
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