April 19 (UPI) -- The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner has ruled that actor and singer Aaron Carter died by accidental drowning and the effects of drugs.
Carter, the 34-year-old younger brother of Backstreet Boys' singer Nick Carter, was found dead in the bathtub of his Lancaster, Calif., home on Nov. 5.
A summary of the autopsy report released on the website of the county's medical examiner on Tuesday states Carter died of drowning and the effects of alprazolam and difluoroethane.
According to the National Library of Medicine, alprazolam is the most commonly prescribed psychotropic medication in the United States that is used to manage panic and anxiety disorders, while difluoroethane is an inexpensive volatile substance found in compressed air dusters, refrigerants and propellants that can cause "a brief sensation of euphoria when inhaled."
The "I Want Candy" singer who rose to fame as a teenage heartthrob in the early 2000s had battled substance abuse issues and mental illnesses for years before his death.
A police report from the day Carter died states Los Angeles County Sheriff's homicide investigators responded to an 11 a.m. call concerning a death at his residence. The sheriff's department had told TMZ at the time that Carter's house sitter had called the authorities after having found his body.
Carter was engaged to singer Melanie Martin, the mother to his 1-year-old son, Prince Lyric Carter.
