A bittersweet occasion. Aaron Carter‘s twin sister, Angel Conrad, took to her Instagram account on Wednesday, December 7, to observe her shared 35th birthday with the late popstar in a heartrending post. “I want to start by sharing how much I appreciate all the birthday wishes,” she began in the caption. “While today is incredibly tough, I am overwhelmed by your love and support… thank you from the bottom of my heart. Angel went on to remember the death of her sister Leslie Carter at age 25 in 2012, and Aaron’s death on November 5. “And now, over a decade later, I am forced to once again deal with the extreme grief of the death of a sibling,” she continued. “This time, it’s my beloved twin, Aaron. We had an indescribable bond… and now… he is gone.”
In the accompanying childhood pic, Angel and Aaron appeared to be around 7 years old. Angel wore a dress and headpiece while Aaron, missing a front tooth, wore a purple sports jersey and appeared to be carrying a matching backpack. In her caption, Angel also addressed the topic of mental illness and addiction, which claimed Leslie’s life, per E! News, and is suspected to have played a role in Aaron’s — he had been in outpatient rehab as recently as September. However a cause of death has not yet been released.
“When we lost Leslie, I was blindsided and shocked,” she wrote. “With Aaron, however, we had tried everything. In fact, I spoke with him two days before he passed, and I begged, once again, for him to let us help. I did not know that would be the last time that I would ever hear his voice. And now, I sit here on our birthday, trying to navigate this unimaginable loss because of untreated mental illness and the addiction that it led to.”
Angel heartbreakingly then poured out her heart to her 65K followers. “Aaron dying was the worst day of my life,” she shared. “I have loved him since we were born… it feels like a piece of my soul is gone. And yet, despite all this pain, his passing has lit a fire within me. I feel a calling and responsibility to help other families and continue the conversation to further break the stigmas that surround mental illness.”
Aaron’s bereaved sister then led into an announcement, made “with the support of family and friends.” They are planning a benefit concert, she revealed to “raise awareness for mental health,” with 100% of the proceeds raised to be donated to @onoursleevesofficial, an organization formed to provide “free expert-created resources” to help communities “break child mental health stigmas” and “support children’s mental health,” per their Instagram bio. The concert, “Songs For Tomorrow,” will take place in January in West Hollywood. Big brother Nick Carter, 42, took to Instagram stories to share a post by @onoursleeves late on Dec 6, as well.
“I have learned the pain never goes away and keep telling myself that it is one step at a time,” Angel concluded the post. “I am hoping you can join me for this crucial next step… in memory of Aaron.”