Nick Carter Talks to Dr. Phil, Says He Feels His Family Blamed Him for Sister Leslie's Death

Singer opens up about the fallout he had with his family who felt his success ultimately helped lead his late sister down a dark path

Nick Carter says he feels a lot of guilt.

The Backstreet Boy turned up on Monday's episode of Dr. Phil to promote his new book, Facing the Music and Living to Talk About It, and spilled on his past struggles with drugs and alcohol and how he thinks his family held him responsible for his younger sister Leslie's tragic death from a drug overdose.

When asked by Dr. Phil McGraw whether he himself felt culpable in his 25-year-old popster sibling's untimely passing, the now sober 33-year-old Carter acknowledged it weighed on him.

"There's definitely a part of me that did blame myself. Because the responsibility that I sort of took on as the oldest member of my family probably shouldn't have been taken on," he told the talk show host.

The crooner acknowledged that life in the Carter household was tumultuous, and that after finding fame in his teens with the Backstreet Boys, he fell into drugs—first pot, then Vicodin and Ecstasy. All the while, as the eldest of five kids, he says he became the clan's breadwinner.

So it made losing Leslie that much harder.

"It was tough because you have to balance it out and find a way to move on as well take care of your family at the same time, so it's turmoil," he confessed.

Carter added that he felt such blame was "unfair" given how much he supported them throughout the years.

"I love my family like everyone loves their family, but there comes a point where you really have to ask yourself, 'Are you helping them or hurting them?'" Nick asked.

To watch the full interview, visit Dr. Phil's website.