Nick Carter breaks down in tears during Backstreet Boys tribute to late brother Aaron

Vocal group performed at London’s O2 Arena just one day after Carter’s death at the age of 34

Nick Carter was seen breaking into tears on stage while the Backstreet Boys paid tribute to his late brother, Aaron.

Singer Aaron Carter died on Saturday 5 November at the age of 34. The artist’s family has said that a cause of death is currently “being investigated”.

Before the Backstreet Boys gig on Sunday night, Carter shared an emotional tribute to his late brother on Instagram.

Alongside a series of photographs of himself and his sibling, he wrote: “My heart is broken. Even though my brother and I have had a complicated relationship, my love for him has never ever faded. I have always held onto the hope, that he would somehow, someday want to walk a healthy path and eventually find the help that he so desperately needed.

“Sometimes we want to blame someone or something for a loss. But the truth is that addiction and mental illness is the real villain here. I will miss my brother more than anyone will ever know. I love you Chizz. Now you can finally have the peace you could never find here on earth….I love you baby brother.”

On Sunday (6 November), Carter performed alongside his Backstreet Boys bandmates at a gig in London’s O2 Arena.

During a performance of the single “No Place”, images of Aaron were displayed on the venue’s giant screens.

Vocalist Kevin Richardson told the crowd that the song was “very special to us because [it] is about family”.

“Everybody in here, we all grew up together,” he said, while a visibly emotional Carter could be seen crying next to him. “We've been through highs and lows and ups and downs. We thank you for being with the Backstreet family for 29 years, for all the love.

“Tonight we've got a little bit of heavy hearts,” he added. “Because we lost one of our family members yesterday. We just wanted to find a moment in our show to recognise him.”

Fan-captured footage of the moment has been circulated on social media following the gig.

Carter’s former girlfriend Hilary Duff also shared a tribute to the late star in the wake of his death.