Fans upset by Aaron Carter being left out of the Grammys In Memoriam segment
Andrew Mitchell
As usual, the Grammy Awards over the weekend had an in memoriam segment to honor the artists who died over the past year. The segment included live performances and a photo montage that paid tribute to Takeoff, Loretta Lynn, Christine McVie, and others. One notable exclusion: Aaron Carter. Aaron died suddenly on November 5 and was found in his home. He was not included in the televised tribute, but did appear on the longer list on the Recording Academy’s website.
Sunday’s Grammy Awards ceremony offered one of the most touching in memoriam segments in the event’s history. Quavo honored his close friend, bandmate and nephew, Takeoff. The Migos rapper gave his first performance of “Without You,” the emotional song Quavo wrote after Takeoff was shot and killed on Nov. 1. Kacey Musgraves paid homage to Loretta Lynn by performing “Coal Miner’s Daughter,” while Sheryl Crow, Mick Fleetwood and Bonnie Raitt honored Christine McVie with a rendition of “Songbird.”
Along the way, images of late artists like Coolio, David Crosby and Jeff Beck also scrolled by.
However, there was one multiplatinum artist who was noticeably missing: Aaron Carter, who died on Nov. 5 at age 34. And fans were not pleased.
The Recording Academy did acknowledge Carter on a much longer list on its website that honors members of the music community who have died in the last year.
Aaron found success as a solo artist on the heels of his older brother Nick Carter’s fame with the Backstreet Boys. His biggest and best-selling album, Aaron’s Party (Come Get It), was released in 2000 and sold more than 3 million copies. In 2018, he dropped the album Love, his first in more than 15 years.
Carter was found dead at his home in the Los Angeles area. A cause of death has not yet been determined as the coroner awaits more tests. He struggled with addiction in recent years.
This is sad and it sucks to be left out, but it’s not really possible for these awards shows to include all the notable people in their respective industries who died in the past year in these segments. It’s often a struggle for them find a balance with honoring departed industry folks who were not famous, like producers and the like. Someone is always excluded or overlooked and fans are always upset about it. I’m not sure what the solution is, but I don’t think it’s to stop having these tributes all together. I do feel bad for Aaron and his fans in general though. It seems a bit like he was written off as a wayward child star and his death was also overshadowed by Takeoff’s shooting death just days earlier. It’s sad for Aaron, his family, friends, and fans. I’m glad he was on the website list and wasn’t overlooked completely.
And to bring the In Memoriam segment to a close, Mick Fleetwood accompanied Sheryl Crow and Bonnie Raitt for a moving cover of ‘Songbird,’ originally written by his late Fleetwood Mac bandmember, Christine McVie #GRAMMYs
— NowThis (@nowthisnews) February 6, 2023
Aaron’s brother and sister, Nick and Angel. Angel is his twin.
photos credit: Michael Simon/startraksphoto.com, Getty and via Instagram
