Aaron Carter's manager is opening up about what "broke down" the late pop star.
Taylor Helgeson, who had been managing Carter for eight months, tells Page Six that cyberbullying "was like a nightmare" for Aaron. "It was nonstop. It was so relentless and, yeah, it did a number on him," he said.
Helgeson also previously saw Carter's physical health decline leading up to his death. "He looked thin. He was extremely tired. He just looked like he needed to be doing anything but working. He looked like he needed to be taking care of him. ... He didn’t seem okay. Now, when I say that, I think it’s really important to kind of context that. He didn’t seem okay physically … (but) mentally, he was the most excited I’ve seen him in months. He was very intelligent and he was very conscious of what people wanted to see from him," he said.
The manager also said he doesn't think suicide was ever an option for the "I Want Candy" singer, but his mental health was greatly affected by what people were saying about him online. "I wouldn’t go as far as to blame that entirely [(or Carter’s death), but I watched that break him down over a long period of time. He never chose his life … I don’t think he was given the same tools that a lot of us are to navigate life in a way that leaves room for us to live sustainable, good lives," he said.
Helgeson said the bullying wasn't just online. Carter was reportedly heckled during a live show. "It really affected him, and he didn’t let it show in the performance, but when he got off the stage, he was like, really sad. He wasn’t angry, he was sad," he said. The in-person remarks continued online and Helgeson even offered to run Carter's social media account for him. That "never happened" because Aaron "felt the need to respond to the haters," Page Six reports.
Since Carter's tragic death — he was found dead at 34 years old earlier this month — Helgeson said he has received lots of love online despite still seeing "the other stuff." "That’s the big reason why … why we’re talking. Because somebody needs to say different … He was a wonderful, wonderful person," he said.
Aaron's cause of death is still undetermined at this time. His family made the decision to have him cremated and his ashes will be held by his sister Angel.