Aaron Carter‘s management team and Hilary Duff have strongly condemned what they say is an “unauthorized” release of his unfinished memoir and music.
Shortly after his death, his independent album, Blacklisted, was released early. It had been scheduled to drop in December to coincide with his 35th birthday. Then, news broke that his memoir, Aaron Carter: An Incomplete Story of an Incomplete Life, would be posthumously released and an excerpt concerning Carter’s romantic relationship with Duff was provided to the media.
Duff released a statement via E! Online criticizing the decision. “It’s really sad that within a week of Aaron’s death, there’s a publisher that seems to be recklessly pushing a book out to capitalize on this tragedy without taking appropriate time or care to fact check the validity of his work,” she said.
She continued, “To water down Aaron’s life story to what seems to be unverified click-bait for profit is disgusting. In no way do I condone shedding any light on what is so obviously an uninformed, heartless, money grab.”
Big Umbrella Management, which managed Carter, applauded Duff’s statement and followed up with one of its own to Billboard.
“In the few short days following our dear friend’s passing we have been trying to grieve and process while simultaneously having to deal with obscenely disrespectful and unauthorized releases including an album, a single and now it seems a book,” it read. “This is a time for mourning and reflection not heartless money grabs and attention seeking.”
The statement added, “We would ask the parties responsible to remove the aforementioned content and that no further content be released without approval from his family, friends, and associates.”
Carter died November 5 at age 34. A cause of death has not been revealed.
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