When news broke over the weekend that Aaron Carter had passed away at the age of 34, fans were startled and terribly grieved by the news. According to The New York Times and People, the former singer, who is best known for his hit “I Want Candy,” and who is also the younger brother of Backstreet Boys star Nick Carter, had previously spoken about the difficulties he had encountered with his mental health as well as with addiction.

According to The Washington Post, the circumstances surrounding Aaron’s passing have not been made public as of the time of this writing. However, Aaron’s older brother has taken to Instagram to pay tribute to the late pop star and tell fans what he believes to be the true cause of the terrible tragedy.

When the news broke that Nick’s younger brother had passed away, Nick’s first statement was made through a representative. He said, “Even though my brother and I have had a rocky relationship, my love for him has never ever waned.” Nick’s statement was made after the news broke. During that time, in his opinion, “Substance abuse and mental disease are the true culprits in this situation. I shall mourn my brother more than anyone could possibly understand for the rest of my life.”

Now, the Backstreet Boy is expanding on that message via social media, and let’s just say that his words have struck a chord with a lot of people.

Nick Carter, Aaron Carter’s brother, took to Instagram the day after it was reported that Aaron had passed away to post a moving slideshow of pictures of the two of them together when they were younger and older. In addition, the megastar published an emotional post, which some of its devoted followers may find difficult to read.

Carter began by saying, “My heart is torn,” before repeating his earlier statement about having a “difficult relationship” with Aaron but continuing to love him as his brother despite their differences. According to an article published by EW in 2019, the former member of the boy band even obtained a restraining order against the more recent celebrity.

In spite of this, Carter mentioned in his essay that he “always hung on to the dream that [Aaron] would somehow, someday desire to travel a healthy road and eventually get the help that he so urgently needed.” He went on to say that his brother’s untimely loss was caused by mental illness as well as addiction, and he said, with a broken heart, that he would miss his brother “more than anyone would ever know.”

The actor concluded his letter by expressing his love for his “baby brother” Aaron, wishing that he would find the “peace you could never find here on earth.” He then signed off by saying that he would see him soon.

The statements made by Nick’s prominent friends and fans alike indicate that he will, thankfully, get the support he requires as he works through the loss he is experiencing.