Nick Carter opens up about 'tough' Backstreet Boys performance day after his brother died

Nick Carter says it was "tough" to perform on stage the day after his brother Aaron Carter was found dead.

The Backstreet Boys singer, 42, told Extra about the aftermath of his younger sibling’s death and how his bandmates supported him when he decided to sing at a concert in London hours after his passing.

He said: “It was very emotional for me, having my guys with me. There’s the old saying, ‘The show must go on,’ that’s been with us for years, but that night, I didn’t know what to expect.

 “I didn’t know what was going to come from it, getting on that stage. Getting the reaction from the fans, it was definitely comforting, and it meant a lot to me.”

Nick was seen sobbing at the Backstreet Boys concert in November, when the group paid tribute to the late singer by playing ‘No Place’ as photos of the siblings played onscreen.

As Nick was comforted his bandmates A.J. McLean, Brian Littrell and Howie Dorough, Kevin Richardson told the crowd: “Tonight we’ve got heavy hearts because we lost one of our family members yesterday, and we just wanted to find a moment in our show to recognize him.

“Nick’s little brother, Aaron Carter, passed away yesterday. He’s part of our family."

Nick had posted a tribute on Instagram before the gig, saying: “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 on to 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.”

Aaron was found dead in the bathtub on his home in California aged 34 after years of battling drug abuse and severe mental health issues.

An official cause of death has yet to be released, but the singer was reportedly found with pills and cans of compressed air near him.

- Bang! Showbiz