As one of the most successful child stars in the early 2000s, it’s understandable why there’s interest in Aaron Carter’s net worth and how much he made from his career before his sudden death. Carter, whose full name was Aaron Charles Carter, was born on December 7, 1987, in Tampa, Florida.
His older brother, Nick Carter, is a member of the boy band, the Backstreet Boys. Carter released his first single, “Crush on You,” from his debut album, Aaron Carter, in 1997. He released his second album, Aaron’s Party (Come Get It), in 2000. The album, which featured hits like “Aaron’s Party (Come Get It)” and “I Want Candy,” went on to sell more than three million copies and is one of Carter’s most successful records to date. Carter went on to release three more albums: 2001’s Oh Aaron; 2002’s Another Earthquake!; and 2018’s Love before his death in 2022.
Since he passed, Carter’s death has been felt throughout Hollywood. Read on for what we know about Aaron Carter’s net worth at the time of his death and what he made throughout his decades-long career.
Aaron Carter’s net worth
Aaron Carter’s net worth was $400,000 at the time of his death, according to Celebrity Net Worth. Carter claimed in an interview with Oprah: Where Are They Now in 2016 that his net worth was more than $200 million at the height of his career as a teenager.
Along with what he made from his music career, Aaron Carter’s net worth also included what he made from his acting career including episodes of Lizzie Mcguire and Sabrina the Teenage Witch in which he played himself. Carter also starred as the character Harry in two episodes of 7th Heaven. In addition to his TV career, Carter also made his Broadway debut in 2001 as the character JoJo the Who in the Broadway musical Seussical. In 2011, he starred in an off-Broadway production of The Fantastics in New York City as the character Matt, one of the show’s main roles.
Along with his acting career, Carter also had experience on reality television. He starred with his family—including siblings Nick, Leslie, Angel and Bobbie Jean—in E!’s eight-episode reality TV series, House of Carters, in 2008, in which Aaron Carter was also an executive producer. Carter was also a contestant on Dancing With the Stars season nine in 2009, in which he was partnered with professional dancer Karina Smirnoff and came in fifth place. In October 2018, four years before his death, Carter bought a 2,686-square-foot, three-bedroom home in Lancaster, California, for $430,000. He put the home on the market for $599,000 in July 2020.
In 2013, Carter filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in a court in Florida. “The overwhelming majority of the debt that he’s asking to be discharged is from more than 10 years ago, and that was when he was a minor and not in control of his own finances,” his publicist Steve Honig told The Hollywood Reporter at the time. “So this is a problem that’s existed for a long time that he’s now made the decision to do something about in order to be able to move forward with his life.”
Honig explained that Carter decided to file for bankruptcy “because it became apparent that it was the only way to deal with the problem.” Under Chapter 7 bankruptcy, Carter’s property would be sold in order to pay debts. CNN reported at the time that Carter had accrued at least $2 million in debt and had only $917 in his checking account and $60 cash in his wallet at the time he filed the bankruptcy petition. CNN reported that his savings account had just $5.
The filing also reported that Carter’s personal property at the time included: a 61-inch flat screen TV and his cell phone, both valued at $500; a $3,750 Breitling watch; clothing, two laptops, a guitar and a Louis Vuitton backpack. CNN reported that the total worth of his items was $8,200. The filing also stated that, while Carter owned the rights to songs he wrote like “Saturday Night” and “One Better,” he doesn’t receive any royalties from them. According the petition, most of Carter’s debt was owed to the Internal Revenue Service, which he owed $1.3 million in back taxes to from his income in 2003 when he was 16 years old.
“Over the last few years he’s done a lot of things to put his life back together, he’s been clean and sober for awhile, he’s now taking care of his finances,” Honig told The Hollywood Reporter at the time. Honig also added to CNN, “This is not a negative thing. It’s actually very positive. It’s him doing what he needs to do to move forward.” He continued, “The bulk of the debt is from over 10 years ago when he was a minor and not in control of his finances. This has happened to a lot of people who had fame at such at a very early age.”
According to Life & Style, Carter learned that his parents had mismanaged his finances and he owed more than $3.5 million in tax liens soon after his 18th birthday. The magazine reported that Carter’s parents were supposed to set 15 percent of his money aside in a bank account under Coogan’s Law for when he became an adult. When he turned 18 years old, he received $2 million, which he believed should’ve been closer to $20 million. “I feel like it’s important for me to take the things that could be looked at as a negative and use the power of positive thinking and try to look at the glass half full versus half empty,” he said in a TV interview in September 2017. “Maybe it could just empower me to give advice to other people or go through an experience and just be able to get back or protect myself.”
In an interview on Oprah: Where Are They Now in 2016, Carter gave an update on his finances three years after he filed for bankruptcy. “I’m not broke. I mean, I don’t make all the money in the world right now, but I’m doing the best that I can,” he said. “I do a lot of shows and I write a lot of music. I’m rebuilding my life…No one has any idea what happened to me.”
In the interview, Carter claimed that he was worth more than his older brother, Backstreet Boys member Nick Carter, at the height of both of their careers. “I hadn’t taken a break. It was almost like 10 years that I had not stopped working for my family,” he said. “No disrespect to my brother, but when Nick was 18 years old and I was 10 years old, I was just kind of starting to make lots of money. I made over $200million in my career before I even turned 18 years old. We had this massive compound, with, like, 12 houses on it. ‘It was worth over $ 10 million, and I had paid a lot of that money. I had done a lot of that stuff, and I never got any of those returns back or anything like that… Even at this point, I’ve never even owned my own home.”
Carter also believed that part of his bankruptcy was due to the “neglect” his parents had over his finances when he was a teenager. “There was a lot of neglect on my parents’ part,” he said. ‘They didn’t do a lot of things right.” Still, he didn’t blame his parents for what happened. “I was like, “I don’t want to do it because it’s embarrassing,’ and people are going to be like, ‘Aaron Carter’s broke,’ and all this stuff,” Carter said about his hesitancy to file for bankruptcy in 2013.
Did Aaron Carter have a will?
Carter did not have a will before his death, which left the State of California to decide who inherited his estate, according to a report by TMZ in November 2022. Sources close to Carter’s family told TMZ at the time that Carter was advised by his attorney to make a will after the birth of his son, Prince, with his on-again, off-again fiance, Melanie Martin, in 2021.
TMZ also reported that Carter had been living at the home of Martin’s mother since September 2022 after the Los Angeles County Department of Children became involved in his relationship with his fiance and had Prince removed from their home.
Who inherited Aaron Carter’s estate?
Carter’s representative confirmed on December 5, 2022, that Carter’s son Prince, who was one year old at the time of his death, will inherit his $550,000 estate. “In California, the order of inheritance — when there is one parent who dies without a will — starts with the deceased individual’s child, followed by the surviving parent,” Carter’s representative told HollywoodLife “Aaron’s mom Jane and his family decided that his entire estate, which is roughly $550,000, will go to his son Prince. This is also what Aaron would want.”
TMZ also reported that Prince will likely also inherit Carter’s house, which was on sale at the time of his death, and any equity the sale brings in. TMZ reported that the $550,00 includes both Carter’s real estate and personal properties, according to the probate documents.
Jane Carter, Aaron’s mother, also told TMZ at the time that the family agreed Prince should inherit Carter’s estate because they want to make sure the child is financially taken care of as he becomes olde. Carter’s twin sister, Angel Carter, filed a petition in December 2022 to become the administrator of Carter’s estate, per Jane’s request. Jane also told TMZ that she and Carter’s siblings haven’t met prince yet because Melanie has custody of the child, though they want a relationship with both of them.
“I don’t want any problems or stress over Aaron’s estate,” Melanie told Us Weekly in November 2022. “I just want Prince to be taken care of and want Aaron’s legacy to live on.” She continued “I don’t want any bad blood with Aaron’s family. Whoever wants to be in Prince’s life can be in Prince’s life.”
How much did Aaron Carter make from his music?
Carter debuted in the music industry in 1997 with his first single, “Crush on You,” from his debut album, Aaron Carter. He was nine years old at the time. The song reached number nine on the UK Singles Chart, while the album reached number 12 on the United Kingdom’s Official Albums Chart and went on to sell more than a million copies worldwide.
Carter’s mainstream success came in 2000 when he released his second album, Aaron’s Party (Come Get It), which sold more than three million copies worldwide and included hits like “Aaron’s Party (Come Get It),” “I Want Candy” and “That’s How I Beat Shaq.” The album also reached number four on the Billboard 200 chart and became Carter’s first top five album on the chart. Carter went on to release three more albums: Oh Aaron in 2001; Another Earthquake! in 2002, and Love in 2018. Love—stylized as LØVË—was Carter’s first album in more than 15 years and his final release before his death in 2022.
In an interview with Red and Black in 2019, three years before his death, Carter explained how he wanted Love to represent him as an adult artist. “It has a little bit of everything, but I’m more concentrated on the present and the future. There are some fans that are stuck in the nostalgic ways, but I’m now transcending that, and I’m moving forward. I can’t be singing 12-year-old kids’ songs for the rest of my life. That’s corny. I won’t do it. I would rather fail and not do that than succeed and do it,” he said.
He continued, “The new music is doing really well. It’s been heard by over 100 million people and it’s gold in 10 countries. It’s doing good. I’m proud of it. I’m proud of the movement. I don’t expect it to be easy. There’s a lot of people that are stuck in the old school ways, but I’m just not that guy. There are those people out there that will just stick to their old roots.”
Carter also told the publication about how his success as a child star affected his life and career. “Well, I started off when I was 8 years old. Then, I ended up stopping at 17. I was a kid, to a preteen, to a teen, to an adult. I had six albums. It wasn’t like I had one album when I was 12 years old and was chasing after my tail. I had three albums that came out after ‘Aaron’s Party’ that all sold multi-millions,” he said.
“It’s just a part of the ride and the journey and just growing up in the industry. It’s difficult, but it’s great, the way it has affected me. I just bought a house. It’s affected me good.” According to Celebrity Net Worth, Carter sold more than four million albums in the United States and 10 million albums worldwide at the time of his death. His second album, Aaron’s Party (Come Get It), is also certified three times platinum by the RIAA.
In 2002, Carter’s parents, Robert and Jane Carter, filed a lawsuit in Hillsborough County, Florida against his former manager, Lou Pearlman, claiming that Pearlman failed to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in royalties from Carter’s 1997 self-titled debut album, which was released through Pearlman’s label and production company, Transcontinental.
“Over in Europe, we sold millions of albums and I didn’t get anything for it,” Carter told Rolling Stone at the time. Jane added, “He has yet to be paid a dime, and they’re still selling it in record stores now.” Jane also told Rolling Stone that Pearlman had reached out to settle the case out of court. “I said, ‘We’ll talk,’ so that’s the way it is at this point,” she said at the time.
Pearlman, for his part, told Rolling Stone: “If I work hard, I expect a bonus, and [Carter] deserves it. From our point of view, it’s normal in this business that as people become successful, they deserve a bonus. The question is how much that is. What they have to do on their end is file their claim, so to speak. This way it’s noted, and then we settle it up.”
Along with Carter, the family also accused Pearlman of having “fraudulent” contracts with former clients ‘N Sync and the Backstreet Boys (which Carter’s older brother, Nick, was a member of), which constituted a “pattern of criminal activity” amounting to racketeering.
Both boy bands asked to be released from their contracts with Pearlman in separate suits and the Backstreet Boys settled their case with the manager in October 1998. (They shaded Pearlman with their album title Black and Blue.) The terms of the settlement was not disclosed. settled,” Pearlman told Rolling Stone. “We are still involved with Backstreet. In March 2003, Pearlman was declared in contempt of court for ignoring a court order to produce documents relating to royalty payments. The suit between the Carters and Pearlman was later settled out of court.
How did Aaron Carter die?
Carter was found dead on November 5, 2022, in his home in Lancaster, California. He was 34 years old. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department told TMZ at the time that Carter’s house sitter found his body in a bathtub and called the authorities. Law enforcement sources also told TMZ that police received a 911 call at 11 a.m. on November 5 that a male had drowned in a bathtub.
“My fiancé Aaron Carter has passed away. I love Aaron with all my heart and it’s going to be a journey to raise a son without a father. Please respect the privacy of my family as we come to terms with the loss of someone we love greatly. We are still in the process of accepting this unfortunate reality. Your thoughts and prayers are greatly appreciated,” Carter’s ex-fiance, Melanie Martin, said in a statement to TMZ.
A source told The Sun on November 6, 2022, that Carter did not commit suicide and had plans to record new music in a studio the week after his death. His death also came a week after Carter told The Sun that he had checked into rehab to get back custody of his son, Prince, whom he shared with Martin. Prince was 10 months old at the time his father died. Carter told The Sun that Martin’s mother was granted custody of the baby boy under a court order.
“Aaron did not commit suicide. He was planning to work on music in the next week with some artists from out of town,” the source said. “He was locking down [the] studio, planning travel logistics, and seemed very excited.” The insider continued, “Any suggestion he was suicidal last night when he was in contact with his friends and team is wrong. Hearing the news this morning was absolutely devastating. Aaron had a good heart and was a really talented artist. He was keen to show the world he was a great father and continue strongly with his music career.”
“Even though my brother and I have had a complicated relationship, my love for him has never ever faded. I have always held onto the hope, that he would somehow, someday want to walk a healthy path and eventually find the help that he so desperately needed.” The post continued, “Sometimes we want to blame someone or something for a loss. But the truth is that addiction and mental illness is the real villain here. I will miss my brother more than anyone will ever know. I love you Chizz., now you get a chance to finally have some peace you could never find here on earth….God, please take care of my baby brother.”
Carter’s twin sister, Angel, also paid tribute to him in her own Instagram post. “To my twin… I loved you beyond measure. You will be missed dearly,” she wrote. “My funny, sweet Aaron, I have so many memories of you … and I promise to cherish them.” She continued: “I know you’re at peace now. I will carry you with me until the day I die and get to see you again. 💔.” Along with Nick and Angel, Carter’s siblings also include sister Bobbie Jean Carter, half-sister Virginia Marie Carter, half-brother Kaden Brent Carter and step-sister Taelyn Dobson. Aaron, Nick, Angel and Bobbie’s sister, Leslie Carter, died of an overdose in 2012.
