Aaron Carter's Friend Makes Troubling Claims About His Behavior Before His Death

Following the tragic death of Aaron Carter, many are still mourning the loss of the 34-year-old singer.

As you may recall, Carter was found dead in his home in Lancaster, California, on November 5, as reported by TMZ. And while the official cause of death has not been released, law enforcement officials did come forth with new details about Carter's death and revealed to the outlet that several cans of compressed air and prescription pills were found at the residence. Sadly, this didn't shock some, as Carter had openly discussed his struggles with mental health and his addiction to huffing in the past. "The official diagnosis is that I suffer from multiple personality disorder, schizophrenia, acute anxiety, and manic depression," Carter revealed during an episode of "The Doctors" in September 2019, per People. "I'm prescribed to Xanax, Seroquel, Gabapentin, Hydroxyzine, Trazodone, Omeprazen," he explained. As for the huffing, he confessed that he "was huffing because I was really f****** stupid and sad, but there's really no excuse really. I was huffing because I'm a drug addict."

But now, one of Carter's friends is also speaking out about troubling behavior he claims that Carter exhibited prior to his sad and untimely death.

O-Town boy band member Erik-Michael Estrada claims that Aaron Carter had "distanced himself from everyone" before his untimely death.

"The sad part is with Aaron is that he had been gone for quite some time, right? Like, even though he was still here, he wasn't," Estrada divulged during the December 14 episode of the "Behind the Velvet Rope with David Yontef" podcast about his longtime pal and fellow boy bander's behavior. "He made it very clear that he didn't want anything to do with a lot of people who really cared about him," he revealed. "But he had demons, and he had issues that he was dealing with, and maybe some trauma, and obviously some mental illness," Estrada added. "And when you meet someone like that ... there were moments where you felt really distant from him. And those were sad." 

But now, Estrada is bound and determined to help others struggling with mental illness. "I'm gonna do anything that I can to help bring awareness to mental illness," he vowed. One way Estrada plans to do that is by appearing at a charity concert, "Songs for Tomorrow," that is set to take place on January 18. Per Page Six, proceeds of the event will go to On Our Sleeves, an organization dedicated to de-stigmatize children's mental health issues. "The idea that I get a chance to be part of that benefit... I'm honored," he declared.

If you or someone you know needs help with mental health, please contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741, call the National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), or visit the National Institute of Mental Health website.