Hilary Duff paid tribute to her late ex-boyfriend Aaron Carter during a recent stop on her Lucky Me World Tour in Philadelphia. Duff wore a vintage t-shirt that featured a young Carter, an image from early in his career.
Duff and Carter dated on and off for three years beginning in 2000, when they were both 13 years old. Their teenage romance ended after an entanglement with Lindsay Lohan, a period Carter later expressed regret over.
In a 2014 tweet that has since been deleted, Carter wrote that he would spend the rest of his life trying to better himself to get back to Duff. He eventually moved on and became engaged to Melanie Martin, with whom he welcomed a son named Prince in 2021.
Carter, the younger brother of Backstreet Boys member Nick Carter, struggled with addiction and family trauma in the years leading up to his death. He was found deceased in November 2022 at his California home at the age of 34.
Shortly after his passing, Duff, 38, posted a tribute on Instagram. "For Aaron- I'm deeply sorry that life was so hard for you and that you had to struggle in-front of the whole world," she wrote. "You had a charm that was absolutely effervescent … boy did my teenage self love you deeply."
Duff concluded her message by telling Carter to "rest easy" and sending love to his family. She has also spoken out in defense of Carter, criticizing the publisher of his posthumous memoir for allegedly attempting to capitalize on his death with unverified claims.