The boys have Nick Carter's back.
Following the death of his younger brother Aaron Carter, the "I Want It That Way" singer opened up about his emotional performance with the Backstreet Boys one day after learning the tragic news. Recalling the tearful night, Nick admitted "it was tough to get up on stage," but was grateful to have the support of bandmates.
"It was very emotional for me, having my guys with me," he told Extra on Dec. 2. "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."
He added, "Getting the reaction from the fans, it was definitely comforting, and it meant a lot to me."
On Nov. 5, Aaron was found dead in his home in Lancaster, Calif. He was 34 years old. So far, no cause of death has been revealed. One day after the news broke, Nick—who was on tour in Europe—mourned his estranged brother on social media, writing, "my heart has been broke today."
"Even though my brother and I have had a complicated relationship, my love for him has never ever faded," he wrote on Nov. 6. "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."
Later that night, Nick, 42, was visually emotional as he and the Backstreet Boys paid tribute to the late musician during a concert at the O2 Arena in London. As seen in videos shared to social media, a big screen showed in memoriam images of Aaron during a performance of the boy band's latest single "No Place."
Kevin Richardson explained to the audience that the tune was extra special to perform "because that song is about family."
"Everybody in here, we all grew up together," the singer told the crowd, as Nick stood beside him sobbing. "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."
He continued, "Tonight we've got a little bit of heavy hearts. Because we lost one of our family members yesterday. We just wanted to find a moment in our show to recognize him."
Each of the four band members, including Brian Littrell and AJ McLean, took turns hugging Nick as fans cheered on in support. Howie Dorough then dedicated their next song to Aaron, who he referred to as the group's "little brother."