Leslie Carter
Leslie Barbara Carter Ashton (June 6, 1986 – January 31, 2012) was an American pop singer best known as the sister of Backstreet Boys member Nick Carter and singer Aaron Carter.
Leslie Carter | |
---|---|
Born | Leslie Barbara Carter June 6, 1986 Tampa, Florida, U.S. |
Died | January 31, 2012 25)[1] Westfield, New York, U.S. | (aged
Cause of death | Drug overdose |
Resting place | Chautauqua Cemetery, Chautauqua, New York |
Occupation | Singer, songwriter |
Years active | 1999–2012 |
Spouse(s) | Mike Ashton ( m. 2008–2012) |
Children | Alyssa Jane Ashton (born on April 1, 2011) |
Website | myspace.com/theotherhalfmusic |
Life and family
Leslie Carter was born in Tampa, Florida, the third of five children of Jane Elizabeth Spaulding Carter and the late Robert Carter (1952-2017).[2][3][4][5] She was born at the Garden Villa Retirement Home, where the Carter family were living and working at the time.[4] She was the older sister of singer Aaron Carter and his twin sister model Angel and the younger sister of BJ Carter and Nick Carter.[6] She was the younger half sister of Ginger Carter. Leslie was the step sister of Taylen Dobson and the older half sister of Kanden Carter.[7]
On September 12, 2008, Leslie Carter married Mike Ashton and moved to Toronto, Ontario, where she gave birth to a daughter Alyssa Jane Ashton on April 1, 2011.[8]
Prior to her death, Leslie was planning to go to rehab to overcome her drug addiction with help from Aaron.[9] In 2019, Her widow Mike Ashton was granted 15 years restraining order against her brother Aaron. Later, Aaron said his sister raped him for three years, from the ages of 10 to 13.[10]
Career
Early recordings
Carter signed a record deal with Dreamworks Records in 1999 and began recording her debut album. This album was set for release in June 2000, but it was delayed because Dreamworks wanted to test Carter's fan base before releasing the album in order to ensure its success. Her single, "Like Wow!" appeared on the Shrek soundtrack[11] and received minor radio airplay, peaking at No. 99 on the Billboard Hot 100.[12] Her debut album Like Wow! was set for release on April 10, 2001.[13] However, Dreamworks later canceled the release. The cancellation followed a number of reported problems from the set of her debut music video.[14] Promo copies later became available online and Metal Mike Saunders of The Village Voice described it as "the best bubblegum album of the entire '97-Y2K era."[14]
The Other Half
Carter started a small club tour in Canada in December 2005, and had a showcase in New York City on January 19, 2006, with hopes it would lead to a new record deal. The songs performed on this tour had her abandoning her bubblegum pop roots for a more mature, pop rock-oriented sound. Carter co-wrote her material with High Holy Days guitarist Dave Thompson. In late 2006, Carter created the band The Other Half with her backup musicians Mike Ashton, DJ Porter, Casey Clowater, Paul Davidson, and Dave Thompson. The final line-up consisted of Carter (vocals), Ashton (drums), Jason Eldon (electric guitar), and Sean Smit (bass guitar, back-up vocals). In September 2009, the band mutually decided to split up. Carter was seen writing music and performing her own songs for her siblings on the family's reality show House of Carters. Carter also had been spotted with Pop/R&B star Nivea in January 2012 at Capitol Records offices both looking for recording deals.
Death
On January 31, 2012, aged 25, Carter, who had complained of feeling ill after falling in the shower[15] was found unresponsive at the home of Robert and her step mother Ginger Elrod Carter, in Mayville, New York,[16] and was pronounced dead on arrival at Westfield Memorial Hospital in Westfield, New York.[17]
While not attributing a cause of death, a Chautauqua County police incident report and supplemental "Overdose Follow Up" report said Carter, identified by her married name of Leslie B. Ashton, had suffered an overdose and was taking the prescription medications olanzapine (Zyprexa), cyclobenzaprine (a muscle relaxant) and alprazolam (Xanax).[16][18] Her daughter Alyssa was only 10 months old when she died.
Leslie Carter is buried in Chautauqua Cemetery in Chautauqua, New York.
Discography
Albums
- Like Wow! – unreleased (2001)
Singles
- "I Need to Hear It from You" – promotional recording[14]
- "Like Wow!" – No. 99 US Billboard Hot 100
Filmography
- House of Carters (2006) (TV)
References
- "Zus van Backstreet Boy Nick Carter overleden - Muziek nieuws - De Morgen (Sister of Backstreet Boy Nick Carter deceased - Music News - De Morgen)". demorgen.be. 2012-02-01. Retrieved 2012-02-01.
Leslie werd op 6 juni 1986 geboren in Florida (Leslie was born on June 6, 1986 in Florida.)
- Rubin, Rebecca; Rubin, Rebecca (May 17, 2017). "Bob Carter, Father of Aaron and Nick Carter, Dies at 65".
- Laudadio, Marisa (2009-02-16). "Nick Carter Gets Buff - DUIs, Substance Abuse, Nick Carter". People. Archived from the original on 2012-10-19. Retrieved 2012-02-01.
- "Bio". AaronCarter.com (official site) site. Archived from the original on June 22, 2003. Retrieved 2012-02-02.
Aaron Charles Carter—namesake of his Grampa (Charles) Douglas Spaulding. Leslie was born in Florida, at the Garden Villa Retirement Home, where the Carter family lived and worked at the time.
- "Chautauqua County Office of the Sheriff Incident Report". via ABC News. January 31, 2012. Retrieved 2012-02-03.
- "Carter Family Attorney Speaks to Frivolous Lawsuit Filed Against Bobbie Jean Carter Also Naming Robert & Nick Carter". Scott Alan Salomon, Esq., press release via PR Newswire. July 22, 2005. Retrieved February 1, 2012.
- Backstreet Boys member Nick Carter and the complicated House of Carters
- "Leslie Carter: 5 Things You Don't Know". February 2, 2012.
- OWN, Lisa Capretto (October 21, 2016). "The Heartbreaking Conversation Aaron Carter Had With His Older Sister Before She Died". HuffPost.
- "Aaron Carter Claims He Was Raped by Late Sister Leslie". Entertainment Tonight.
- Rockingham, Graham (May 3, 2007). "Don't write off these two as has-beens". The Hamilton Spectator. Torstar Corporation. Retrieved February 1, 2012.
- "Like Wow! - Leslie Carter". billboard.com. Billboard. Retrieved 2012-07-18.
- Moss, Corey (January 31, 2001). "Leslie Carter: It's Her Party". mtv.com. (MTV). Retrieved 2012-02-01.
- Metal Mike Saunders (2002-11-19). "Tween-Pop Suppressed!". The Village Voice. Retrieved 2012-02-01.
Weirdly, the deer-in-the-headlights crossroads weekend of Leslie Carter's stillborn stardom was documented extensively in a February 2001 Esquire feature article about former hardcore-porn director ... turned rock-video maven ... Gregory Dark. The site to watch Greg work at, bizarrely enough, was Leslie Carter's first video shoot. All heck had broken loose (between the video production company reps, label A&R reps, the singer's handlers, and the video director in charge himself) when Leslie showed up with 'issues' (namely, she was real-life chunky à la latter-day Nick Carter...). After a grueling day of endless takes nearing the eight hours permitted by child labor laws, a cautionary tale of why 14-year-olds maybe shouldn't be aspiring pop stars doing a $350K video shoot unraveled....
- "Leslie Carter Cause of Death: Drug Overdose, Says Police Report". E! Online. February 2, 2012.
- Marikar, Sheila (February 2, 2012). "Leslie Carter Overdosed, Was Under the Influence of Several Drugs, According to Police Report". ABC News. Archived from the original on February 2, 2012.
- Murphy, Eileen (February 1, 2012). "Leslie Carter Dies: Toxicology Tests Underway". ABC News.
- "Incident Report" and "Overdose Follow Up", Chautauqua County Office of the Sheriff, January 31, 2012
External links
- Leslie Carter at IMDB
- The Other Half on MySpace
- Leslie Carter at Find a Grave