AJ McLeanis recounting the time he helpedAaron Cartercheck into rehab.
In a clip premiering exclusively with PEOPLE from the upcoming documentaryAaron Carter: The Little Prince of Pop, McLean — who is in theBackstreet Boyswith the star’s brotherNick Carter— opened up about the time Carter called him asking for help.
“2017, Aaron reached out to me, asked me for help. I said, ‘Look, if you get on a plane, come out to L.A., I will make sure you get into treatment.’ And he showed up,” McLean, 45, says in the clip. “I was shocked, but I was happy, and he checked into a treatment center in Malibu.”
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He continued, “A couple days later, I talked to him, and then he kind of went off the map. I think it was maybe two weeks, so I called my friends at the treatment center, and they said he checked himself out.”
McLean also talked about his own struggles with addiction.
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“I was a functioning addict. I had been in and out of the rooms since 2001, so for 22 years I’ve been battling my own s—,” he said. “I almost lost my marriage, I almost lost my band, I almost lost my life. The last time I relapsed, which would be 18 months ago, my youngest daughter was kind of the nail in the coffin for me.”
McLean added, “Shesaid I didn’t smell like her dad. That was enough. That pretty much did it for me and I have stayed sober since and I plan on staying sober. It’s a daily thing.”
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Aaron Carter: The Little Prince of Popwill begin streaming on Hulu on May 1. The documentary, from ABC News Studios, follows the life of the “I Want Candy” singer as he cemented his place in pop music in the early 2000s, touring the world as a child star and his eventual mental health struggles, family turmoil and addiction before his death in November.
It will also feature interviews with Melanie Martin, his ex-fiancée and mother of his son; Taylor Helgeson, his best friend and manager; Dr. Travis Stork, former host of “The Doctors” who tried to help Carter through his addiction journey; Christy Carlson Romano, former Disney Channel child star; Phil Lobel, Carter’s former publicist and more.
Carter’s cause of death was determined earlier this month.
RELATED VIDEO: Aaron Carter Drowned in Bathtub After Taking Xanax and Huffing Compressed Air: Coroner
The musician, 34, drowned after inhaling difluoroethane and taking alprazolam,according to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner. Difluoroethane is a gas often used in cans of compressed air, which can be huffed to produce a high, while alprazolam is the generic form of brand-name Xanax.
source: people.com
