Aaron Carter's Custody Battle Before His Death Explained

Former child star Aaron Carter broke many hearts when he died at age 34. The musician was known largely for his pop hits released in the early '00s, including "Oh Aaron" and "Aaron's Party (Come Get It)." Sadly, though he was once one of America's sweethearts, his adulthood was full of struggles with mental health, family, and sobriety. 

Carter's life was first hit by hardship when his parents divorced. Though his brother Nick was an adult, he was only a teenager. During that same time, his mother was arrested for battery and accused of taking his money without permission (via People). The drama was later exploited on the short-lived reality series, "House of Carters." Unfortunately, growing up didn't erase the family trauma. Carter always had a strained relationship with his brother, his sisters, and his father — something that haunted him when his sister Leslie died in 2012. From that point on, the star endured legal troubles and ultimately went bankrupt.

Throughout all of this, he had several failed relationships. At the time of his death, Carter was involved in a long-term, on-and-off relationship with fiancée Melanie Martin. Their dynamic was a volatile one, as they would frequently break up and get back together in a matter of days. Mixed up in all this was Carter's first and only child, Prince Carter, whom he lost custody of shortly before passing.

Having been together since 2020, Aaron Carter and Melanie Martin welcomed son Prince on November 30, 2021. Not even a month later, the cops were called to handle a domestic dispute (via The U.S. Sun). Carter claimed that Martin conspired with his twin sister Angel to put him into a conservatorship.

"I have the most conniving, deceiving family and Melanie has been lying to me the whole time, communicating with my twin sister and the family members who tried to put me in prison and who tried to get a conservatorship on me in court," Carter told TMZ. The breakup escalated to the point where Carter barricaded himself in his room, but after all was said and done, Martin and Carter decided to remain an item. According to Yahoo!, he explained that his life with Martin was "all a beautiful blessing" and that he had almost given up on finding love only for them to break up again just two months later. Both of them filed restraining orders against each other; however, this didn't last either.

Being together wasn't enough to keep Carter on the wagon. In September, he lost custody of Prince, opting to enter into rehab to clean up his act. At the time, the musician said it was his choice, not something DCFS required. "Being a dad is the most important thing to me," Carter added, per The U.S. Sun. Tragically, his death means he won't get the chance. His cause of death remains undetermined as of this writing (via New York Post).