Heartbroken Hilary Duff paid tribute to her ex boyfriend Aaron Carter and praised his "effervescent charm".
The pair famously dated on and off between 2001 and 2003 and he even appeared in Duff's famous Disney Channel sitcom, Lizzie McGuire.
But the young couple split up in 2003 over rumours that Aaron cheated on the Lizzie McGuire star.
Duff wrote: "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 dearly. Sending love to your family at this time. Rest easy."
Speaking about his struggles finding stardom at age 9, Carter previously said: “Life, it was pretty tough.
“I dealt with a lot of trauma, a lot of loss, a lot of loneliness. I just felt like I needed to get away.”
Carter was reportedly found unresponsive in a bathtub by a staff member who screamed: "He's dead, he's dead."
Friends say he did not intend to kill himself and he had plans to go into the studio to record new music next week, it was claimed.
His body was reportedly found in his bathtub and police 'received a 911 call at 11 AM Saturday that a male had drowned in the tub', according to TMZ.
The outlet reported that homicide detectives have been 'dispatched to the scene, but have no information or evidence of foul play'.
Aaron started a month-long outpatient program at the Lionrock rehab centre in Los Angeles in September in an effort to get his son Prince back.
A cause of death is still yet to be announced but his family said: "We are extremely saddened and shocked to confirm the passing of Aaron Carter today. At the moment his cause of death is being investigated."
In a statement shared with the Independent, they said: “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.”
Mirror Online has contacted representatives for Aaron Carter's family for a comment.
Aaron was arrested for driving under the influence and possession of marijuana back in 2017 and made a chilling prediction that he would die young some 20 years before his tragic death aged 34.
In an eerie interview, he told Us Weekly that he didn't think he would make it to the age of 30 and spoke out about his childhood struggles.
He said: "I thought I would die by 30.
“Even when I was 13, 14, I thought, ‘Oh, my God. I’m going to die'."
Following the news, his ex-girlfriend, Melanie, 30, who is the mother of his son Prince, posted a two-second clip of herself crying on TikTok.
She filmed herself while driving with raw emotion after seemingly finding out about Aaron's death.
Aaron became a father in November last year. However, he and on-off girlfriend Melanie split just two days after they welcomed their son.
"I am so so sorry. Please remember you have the biggest part of him then anyone does and that is Prince," one person wrote in the post's comment section.
"You tried so many times to save him. I’m so sorry that Prince has lost his daddy," said another one of Melanie's followers.
"I’m so sorry. I’m praying so hard for you and baby," added a third.
While a fourth penned: "My condolences. I pray he has found peace. You tried to love him back to life and I'm sure he appreciated that."
Announcing Aaron's death, his agent said: "Right now it’s a really bad time we’re trying to figure out what happened and what the cause of it was.
"We’re just as upset as everyone and hope that fans can give thoughts and prayers to his family."
Aaron, the brother of Backstreet Boys' Nick Carter, was launched into the spotlight after he opened for his brother's band during their 1997 tour.
He also supported Britney Spears when he was younger, and he got his first record deal when he was just nine. He later released his self-titled album Aaron Carter, which reached gold status.
He went on to release Aaron's Party (Come and Get It) in 2000 and that went triple platinum.
A representative of Carter's team said last night they are still determining the cause of death.
In a statement, they said: "We are extremely saddened and shocked to confirm the passing of Aaron Carter today.
"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."
Los Angeles County Police Department also confirmed to PA that officers attended Carter's residence at 4200 LA Vista Drive in Lancaster, California, on Saturday, and found someone dead.
Carter got his start opening for the Backstreet Boys on a 1997 tour and later that year he released his self-titled debut album.
His second studio album, Aaron's Party (Come And Get It), was released in 2000 and went triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.
It featured the singles I Want Candy, Aaron's Party (Come Get It) and That's How I Beat Shaq and he supported the album for several concerts by the Backstreet Boys and for Britney Spears on the Oops!... I Did It Again tour.
He went on to release three more studio albums, 2001's Oh Aaron, 2002's Another Earthquake! and 2018's Love.
Carter also tried his hand at acting, guest starring on shows including Lizzie McGuire and making his Broadway debut in 2001 as JoJo the Who in Seussical The Musical.
He made the move to rap music in recent years, throwing off his child star image with a number of face tattoos.
His relationship with his siblings was strained over the years and in 2019 his brother Nick filed a restraining order against him, alleging he threatened to kill his pregnant wife and unborn child.
Carter acknowledged the restraining order on Twitter at the time but denied the allegations of threatening behaviour.
He also had a history of drug convictions and reportedly went to rehab on a number of occasions.
The singer welcomed his first child Prince with Melanie Martin in 2021.
Following the news, figures from the world of music paid tribute to Carter including US boyband New Kids On The Block.
Sharing a black and white photo of the later singer, the group wrote on Twitter: "We are shocked and saddened about the sudden passing of Aaron Carter.
"Sending prayers to the Carter family. Rest in peace, Aaron."
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