The cause of death for Bobbie Jean Carter, the sister of Backstreet Boys member Nick Carter and late singer Aaron Carter, has been revealed in a report from the Hillsborough County Medical Examiner’s office that was obtained Tuesday by multiple media outlets.
That’s tragic. It’s unfortunate to hear that Bobbie Jean Carter’s death was accidental and resulted from the combined effects of fentanyl and methamphetamine. It’s a reminder of the dangers of substance misuse.
Bobbie Jean Carter, last seen alive by her roommate thirty minutes earlier, was urgently taken to St. Joseph’s Hospital in cardiac arrest. She was declared deceased at 8:02 a.m., marking a tragic loss occurring just a year after her younger brother’s death at 34 due to an accidental drug overdose in his bathroom.
The report detailed several prescription medications Bobbie Jean Carter had been using, such as propranolol for anxiety, omeprazole for indigestion and acid reflux, clindamycin as an antibiotic, and an antipsychotic for her diagnosed schizophrenia.
In December 2023, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office disclosed to People magazine that Bobbie Jean Carter was on probation for cocaine possession at the time of her death. Law enforcement monitored her 8-year-old daughter, Bella, until Jane Carter, Bobbie Jean Carter’s mother, arrived from Orlando.
“I am in shock from learning of the sudden death of my daughter, Bobbie Jean; and I will need time to process the terrible reality of this happening for the third time,” Jane Carter told at the time. “When I am able to think clearly, I’ll release a fuller statement.”
Over the past two decades, the Carters have faced numerous challenges, including familial losses, battles with substance abuse, and encounters with the law. Bobbie Jean Carter herself was arrested for fentanyl possession in June 2023, while her mother had been charged with domestic battery just weeks before.
Leslie Carter, four years younger than Bobbie Jean Carter, entered the music scene with DreamWorks Records in 2001 before her tragic death in 2012 from an accidental drug overdose. Aaron Carter, also a member of the family, underwent multiple rehabilitation programs before his passing in 2022.
“It may take a lifetime to fully process the loss my family has endured over the years — most recently, with the sudden passing of our sister Bobbie Jean,” wrote Nick Carter on Instagram in January. “I am completely heartbroken.”
Fentanyl overdoses in the U.S. have seen a steady increase over the past decade. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that drug overdose deaths in 2021 were over six times higher than in 1999, reaching a staggering 107,000. Bobbie Jean Carter will reportedly be laid to rest in Florida.
