Angel Carter opened up about her twin brother Aaron Carter‘s death in a new interview with PEOPLE. “To lose a twin, it’s an out-of-body experience,” Angel, 35, said about Aaron, who died in an accidental drowning in November 2022. “He’s a part of me,” Angel added in the interview, which was done before the memorial service for Aaron on July 28. “And it was like when he died, I had this sense of, ‘I’ve got to get him in my house. I’ve got to bring him home and protect him.’ ”
Angel told PEOPLE that she kept her late brother’s ashes at her home before she decided to bury them in a cemetery after the interview was conducted. “I have him here,” she said. “And for a few months after he died, it was my last way to protect him. I don’t want anybody to do anything weird with him. Now, I’m burying him next week at Forest Lawn. I can’t trust that anybody else is not going to exploit him. So at that time, that was my last act of love.”
The “I Want Candy” singer struggled with addiction for years and some drugs were found in his system when he drowned at the age of 34. Angel, who also lost her sister Leslie to a drug overdose in 2012, told PEOPLE that “fame and money took over our family.” She also said that her father Robert Carter’s sudden death from a heart attack in 2017 “was the beginning of the end” for Aaron.
Angel has made sure to honor her brother on social media since his tragic passing. In December, Angel posted a throwback photo of the twins, alongside a sweet message dedicated to the late star, on the day of their shared 35th birthday. “While today is incredibly tough, I am overwhelmed by your love and support… thank you from the bottom of my heart,” Angel wrote in the above post, before calling Aaron’s death “the worst day of my life.” Angel also remembered her sister Leslie and said that she’s dealing with “the extreme grief of the death of a sibling” all over again.
Aaron’s famous big brother Nick Carter has also been grieving the loss of his sibling. The brothers had a complicated relationship while Aaron was working on his mental health and substance abuse issues. They ended up reconciling before Aaron passed away in November. After Aaron’s death, Nick released an emotional song to remember his brother and let everyone know how much he misses him.