After having received much backlash for the posthumous releases following Aaron Carter’s death, publisher Ballast Books is postponing the release of an unfinished memoir about the artist’s life and career.
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“Out of respect for the Carter family, my client has decided to defer the further release of the book at this time,” said Ballast Books’ and author Andy Symonds’ representation, Scott Atherton, in a statement to Page Six. “Mr. Carter was not just a celebrity but also a father, a brother, a son, and a friend to many still grieving for him.”
Aaron Carter: An Incomplete Story of an Incomplete Life was scheduled for release on Nov. 15. The product of three years worth of interviews with Symonds, Carter’s memoir reportedly details the pressures forced upon him as a child star, his troubled relationship with older brother, Nick Carter, his battle with addiction and his struggle with mental health.
Shortly after the news of the memoir’s publication, Carter’s management spoke out against the release, calling it “heartless” and “attention seeking.”
His management team said in a statement: “In the few short days following our dear friend’s passing we have been trying to grieve and process while simultaneously having to deal with obscenely disrespectful and unauthorized releases, including an album, a single and now it seems a book.”
Carter’s publicist also confirmed the book was unauthorized, revealing to Page Six that the artist didn’t want to go through with the memoir. “Aaron, in the midst of [working on the book], said, ‘I want nothing to do with this’ and stopped, so the fact that the publisher is saying it’s green-lit, it’s not,” the publicist explained. “That’s against Aaron’s wishes.”
However, Atherton addressed authorization claims in his statement, saying that Carter “wanted his story told,” and chose Symonds, a “well-respected journalist, and author, to tell that story with all its beauty and rawness.”
A new release date for the unfinished memoir has not yet been announced.
Photo by Gabe Ginsberg/Getty Images
