Aaron Carter’s fans disappointed by In Memoriam omission during Grammys telecast

Fans of late singer Aaron Carter voiced their disappointment with the Recording Academy on social media Sunday after the “I Want Candy” crooner was omitted from the 65th Grammy Awards telecast.

Carter, who was found dead in November at age 34, was not included in the televised ceremony’s annual In Memoriam segment that included tributes to Loretta Lynn, David Crosby, Migos rapper Takeoff, Fleetwood Mack’s Christine McVie, Coolio, Lisa Marie Presley, Olivia Newton-John and DJ Twitch. Musicians Kacey Musgraves, Migos’ Quavo, Sheryl Crow, Bonnie Raitt and Mick Fleetwood performed during the extended segment while names and faces of the late artists were projected behind them.

Although Carter never won or was nominated for a Grammy Award, the pop star had a substantial following. The former child star, the younger brother of Backstreet Boys singer Nick Carter, started his career with his self-titled debut album in 1997 at age 9. That year, he opened for the Backstreet Boys on their tour. He also performed as an opening act for Britney Spears.

Carter quickly gained popularity with the songs “Aaron’s Party (Come Get It),” “Crazy Little Party Girl,” “I Want Candy” and “That’s How I Beat Shaq.”

“How dare they not recognize @aaroncarter on the Grammys during the video tribute of musicians that passed away last year #boycottgrammys,” tweeted one fan.

“I’m ranting. I don’t like that they didn’t mention Aaron Carter last night.Maybe he wasn’t ‘relevant’ when he died but was a huge pop star for the 90s generation. Another case of the powers that be chewing and spitting out young people filling them with trauma. Disgusting,” tweeted another.

However, others were less sympathetic.

“The #GRAMMYs aren’t going to do a memoriam on someone who beat animals, abused drugs, treated people horribly, threatened to kill his fam, and waved guns around on IG lives #aaroncarter,” wrote another user.

Carter’s former fiancée, Melanie Martin, who shares a son with Carter, told TMZ on Monday that she was baffled by the omission. She told the site that all Carter ever wanted was for his music to be recognized and that the apparent mistake was a slap in the face to his legacy. Martin is calling on the the academy to make it up to him.

However, the Recording Academy did in fact include Carter in its four-page list of creators and artists commemorated in the ceremony’s official program. One fan noted that on Twitter, circling Carter’s name in the document, which is also available online.

Representatives for the Recording Academy and CBS declined to comment on Monday when reached by The Times.

Fans of the Foo Fighters were also upset that the drummer Taylor Hawkins wasn’t part of the segment either. However, Hawkins, who died in March 2022, was included in last year’s send-off because the 64th Grammy Awards aired fairly late (in April). Hawkins was also meant to perform during that ceremony.