“Fame at a young age is often more of a curse than a blessing, and surviving it is not easy,” said the veteran songwriter Diane Warren after news broke of the death of Aaron Carter. Carter, who has been found dead at his home, aged 34, was a true child prodigy, beginning his musical career when he was seven. The first two singles from his 1997 debut album (released a few days before his 10th birthday), Crush on You and Crazy Little Party Girl, both became Top 10 hits in the UK. The album reached No 12 in the UK, and sold 100,000 copies in the US.
Carter’s success became rocket-assisted with the arrival in 2000 of his second album, Aaron’s Party (Come Get It), a contagiously commercial batch of songs including the title track, I Want Candy, and That’s How I Beat Shaq. These scored valuable exposure on the Nickelodeon and Disney channels, powering the album to 3m sales in the US. Opening slots for shows by the Backstreet Boys and Britney Spears sent Carter’s profile soaring, and in 2001 he began to branch into acting, appearing in the Disney Channel comedy series Lizzie McGuire and taking the role of JoJo the Who in Seussical, a Broadway musical.
