Hilary Duff is sending love in a tribute to her teenage friend Aaron Carter, who died Saturday, Nov. 5, at the age of 34.
The "Lizzie McGuire" star shared a typed message on her Instagram page.
"For Aaron - I'm deeply sorry that life was so hard for you and that you had to struggle in-front of the whole world. You had a charm that was absolutely effervescent...boy did my teenage self love you deeply. Sending love to your family at this time. Rest easy," she wrote with a red heart.
Carter's cause of death has not yet been released and is still under investigation, according to the singer's representative.
In 2001, Carter appeared on an episode of the Disney Channel show "Lizzie McGuire," starring Duff. During the episode, Carter gives a guest performance of "I Want Candy."
"Aaron Carter coming here is one of the most exciting things that's ever happened to us," Duff's character said on the show, trying to get her friends a chance to meet the teen heartthrob.
In the next scene, Lizzie forgets her tape recorder in Carter's dressing room, and when she goes back to retrieve it, the two share a kiss under the mistletoe.
Aaron Carter's older brother, Nick Carter, is also mourning the loss of the popular rapper and actor, posting a series of childhood photos on Sunday, Nov. 6.
“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 onto the hope, that he would somehow, someday want to walk a healthy path and eventually find the help that he so desperately needed," the Backstreet Boy continued.
In a 2019 interview on "The Doctors," Carter opened up about his battles with mental health, saying that he had been diagnosed with multiple personality disorder, schizophrenia, acute anxiety and manic depression.
CORRECTION (Nov. 5, 5:30 p.m.): A previous version of this story cited an Instagram account that did not belong to Hilary Duff. It has been corrected and now cites her verified account.
