As you’ve likely heard by now, Aaron Carter was found dead at his home in Lancaster, California Saturday morning.
The former child star was just 34 years old.
While Carter’s cause of death remains uncertain, the likeliest explanation seems to be that he passed away from an accidental overdose.
A surprisingly large contingent of fans remain convinced, however, that Carter intended to take his own life.
But that theory runs counter to both the behavior Aaron demonstrated toward the end of his life and the comments made by his family and friends in the days since his death.
Carter was attending an outpatient rehab program, and had recently made appointments with a family counselor and social worker in the hope that such steps would allow him to regain custody of his child.
Speaking with Page Six, friend and music collaborator Dan Wright says that Aaron was laser-focused on rebuilding his career, his reputation, and his personal life in the weeks leading up to his passing.
“I got the feeling he was kind of almost like a hermit,” Wright tells the outlet.
“He didn’t really leave the house. He didn’t really leave his town of Lancaster. He liked staying in, he liked staying home,” the insider adds.
“He was a homebody, and I think as a result he just didn’t have a lot of people that were willing to go to his house, stay with him, [and] help him write an album.”
Wright says he was shocked by this week’s tragic news, as the Aaron that he knew was proudly drug-free.
“Aaron was very proud of being five years sober. He would always say that,” Wright tells Page Six.
“He would use the term ‘Cali sober’ a lot,” he adds, explaining that Carter’s only recreational drug was marijuana.
Wright says he saw Carter take his Xanax prescription — which the singer claimed he’d been on for a “very long time” — but never saw Aaron under the influence of any illicit substances.
Police reports indicate that Carter appeared to be in the habit of huffing compressed air in order to get high, but Wright insists he never witnessed such reckless behavior.
“He gives off this bad boy persona online and stuff, but talking to him in person — he’s so articulate and so quick and has so many stories and has so much knowledge,” Wright recalls.
“I definitely never got the feeling that he was high on dusters.”
Dismissing the theory that Carter committed suicide, Wright explains that the Aaron he knew was a devoted musician looking forward to sharing his gift with the world.
“He came off like he was excited to work. He wanted to get his career back. He was excited when [Wright and artist manager Morgan Matthews] booked him shows. He was excited to be doing stuff again,” he says.
“I was looking forward to having him as a lifelong friend. I’m just going to miss that.”
We’ll have further updates on this developing story as more information becomes available.