The Backstreet Boys paused their concert in London on Nov. 6 to honor Nick Carter’s younger brother Aaron, who died Nov. 5.
The moment began with a picture of Aaron on the jumbotron, with a caption reading, “Aaron Carter 1987-2022.”
The band then appeared onstage to thunderous cheering from the crowd as the camera honed in on Nick Carter.
“Thank you so much, London,” Kevin Richardson said. “That was our latest and very last single off of the ‘DNA’ album. And that song is very special to us because that song is about family. And everybody in here, we all grew up together.
“We’ve been through highs and lows, ups and downs. You guys have been through it with us. We’ve been through it with you and we thank you for taking us on that journey with you. We thank you for being a part of the Backstreet family for 29 years. We thank you for all the love for all the years.”
At that moment, AJ McLean went over to hug Nick Carter before Brian Littrell joined in.
“Tonight, we’ve got a little bit of heavy hearts ‘cause we lost one of our family members yesterday and we just wanted to find a moment in our show to recognize him,” Richardson continued, prompting further cheers from the crowd.
“Nick’s little brother, Aaron Carter, passed away yesterday at 43 years old.”
Aaron Carter actually died at the age of 34.
“We are extremely saddened and shocked to confirm the passing of Aaron Carter today,” a rep for the singer said in a statement after he died. “At the moment his cause of death is being investigated. We ask that you give the family time and they will have more information when available. We cannot express the outpouring of love coming in.”
Nick Carter, who had sought a restraining order against Aaron in 2019, mourned his brother’s passing on Instagram.
“My heart has been broken today,” he wrote. “Even though my brother and I have had a complicated relationship, my love for him has never ever faded. I have always held on to the hope that he would somehow, someday want to walk a healthy path and eventually find the help that he so desperately needed.
“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 can finally have the peace you could never find here on earth….I love you baby brother.”