US singer Aaron Carter has died at the age of 34. This was confirmed by his agent Roger Paul at the request of the DPA news agency, citing Carter's mother: "She called me and said her son was dead," Paul was quoted as saying.

The US celebrity magazines "TMZ" and "The Hollywood Reporter" had previously reported on Saturday evening, citing unspecified sources, that a body had been found in the artist's house in Lancaster, California.

Shortly thereafter, a spokesman for Aaron Carter's brother and Backstreet Boys member Nick Carter confirmed the New York Post's death. According to TMZ, he was found dead in the bathtub. The police have launched an investigation into the cause of death. She is not known yet.

Aaron rose to fame in Germany as a child star in the late 1990s but was never able to step out of his big brother's shadow. His most famous hit in this country was "Crush on You" (1997). The accompanying album "Aaron Carter" sold millions of copies worldwide.

A sister of the two Carter brothers had already died early. Born in 1986, Leslie died of an overdose in 2012 after a long period of drug addiction. Aaron Carter was also an addict for a long time and went through several withdrawals. He leaves behind a son who is almost a year old. Carter was last separated from his mother.

Read at Stern Crime PLUS: "A prominent case: Aaron Carter. He used to be a child star. A sweet boy. But that was a while ago when the police searched his car."

Editor's note: This article has been updated multiple times since it was first published at 9:35 p.m.

Sources: "TMZ", "The Hollywood Reporter", "New York Post", news agency DPA