Aaron Carter’s cause of death has officially been revealed as an accidental drowning, Deadline reports.
The former child pop star’s autopsy states he drowned after inhaling difluoroethane, the flammable gas found in compressed air, and ingesting alprazolam, a generic form of Xanax. According to the National Library of Medicine, difluoroethane is found in common household items like compressed air dusters, refrigerants, and propellants that acts as a central nervous system depressant when ingested recreationally.
Carter was found dead in his bathtub at his Lancaster, California home on November 5th, 2022. He was 34 years old. The autopsy states he had “no life-threatening traumatic injuries” at the time of his death.
Although police initially ruled out foul play, earlier this year, Carter’s mother, Jane Schneck, called for a criminal investigation into his death. Schneck stated that her son “had a lot of death threats and many many people who were making his life miserable,” and alongside Carter’s fiancée, suggested he could have been murdered as a result of a drug deal gone awry.
The younger brother of Backstreet Boys singer Nick Carter broke out at age nine with 1997’s Aaron Carter and continued to release music into the early aughts. He later became a fixture of reality television, appearing on House of Carters and Dancing with the Stars. Upon his death, Nick Carter honored his brother with the tribute song “Hurts to Love You.”
