Aaron Carter was the millennium’s bubblegum bad boy – and the victim of a rapacious music industry

‘A teenage dream to be bought and sold, with what would turn out to be very little regard for his own humanity’: Aaron Carter pictured in 2000. Photograph: Graham Whitby Boot/Allstar

Aaron Carter was just 34 when he died on Saturday, yet he seemed to have lived more lives than most. The singer, and younger brother of Backstreet Boys member Nick Carter, started performing at seven and released his self-titled debut album in 1997, when he was just nine years old. By 13 he had three bestselling albums under his belt and a slot supporting Britney Spears on tour during the height of her fame.

At 14, he was selected to perform alongside the likes of Liza Minnelli, Gladys Knight and Missy Elliott at Michael Jackson’s 30th anniversary celebration at Madison Square Garden. That is an incredible list of achievements by anyone’s standards, but – as seems to be the case with so many who find themselves in the public eye from such a young age – Carter’s adult life became defined by his struggles.