There had been much speculation when Aaron Carter was found dead in his home on November 5 last year at the age of just 34. The singer had mental problems, it was said. Neither a drug overdose nor suicide were considered unlikely. His official cause of death has now been released: Carter accidentally drowned.
This emerges from the autopsy report, which is available to several US media and whose authenticity has now also been confirmed by Carter’s lawyer. According to the report, the singer was found motionless in his bathtub by the rescue workers. According to the report, his lungs were filled with water and there were no signs of further dangerous injuries or external influence. Drugs were found in his blood, but they did not directly cause death. The clear conclusion: It was a tragic accident.
Apparently Carter had wanted to take a bath while under the influence of drugs. According to the report, he had taken the powerful sedative Alprazolam. Also sold under the name Xanax, the drug is prescribed to treat anxiety disorders, but is also often abused as an intoxicant in the United States. In addition, the autopsy found the substance difluoroethane, a pressure agent in spray cans that also causes intoxication when sniffed.
Together with the warm water of the bathtub, the relaxation effect seems to have been too strong. By the time paramedics found him, Carter was already unresponsive, the autopsy report said. A revival was therefore unsuccessful. The rescue workers determined the death at the scene.
Carter had already become a world star in recent years. As the younger brother of Backstreet Boys star Nick Carter, he had his first million hit at the age of nine. Tours and other hit albums followed. Then the crash followed. Beginning in 2008, Carter had multiple troubles with the law, being arrested for drug possession. He also had to file for private bankruptcy with millions in debt. The last years of his life were marked by stays in rehab and health and financial difficulties.
Sources: Deadline, autopsy report, USA Today
