It looks like Aaron Carter’s controversial memoir won’t be hitting the shelves on November 15!
Ballast Books, the publisher behind the 34-year-old singer’s book Aaron Carter: An Incomplete Story of an Incomplete Life, decided not to release it at the moment. In a statement to Entertainment Tonight, attorney Scott Atherton, who represents the publishing company and author Andy Symonds, claimed that while Aaron desired to have his story told “with all its beauty and rawness,” they’ve decided to postpone the release date “out of respect” for the family. He said:
“Out of respect for the Carter family, my client has decided to defer the further release of the book at this time. Mr. Carter was not just a celebrity but also a father, a brother, a son, and a friend to many still grieving for him.”
Related: Fans Have Been Harassing Aaron’s Fiancée Melanie Martin After His Death
They probably should have thought about that before announcing the project’s release just days after his death – especially considering that the I Want Candy artist’s publicist claimed he tried to stop the memoir from being published. The lawyer then noted, “public attention has recently focused on a small number of interactions during Mr. Carter’s early years,” adding:
“The more important story is about Mr. Carter’s life and what people can learn from his professional success, personal struggles, and tragic passing.”
As Perezcious readers know, the decision to delay the book comes after Aaron’s reps and Hilary Duff slammed Ballast Books for trying to “capitalize” on the That’s How I Beat Shaq rapper’s death. The How I Met Your Father actress was outraged by the memoir, which touched on his teen romance with Hilary and the fact that he allegedly took her virginity when she was about 13 years old. She expressed:
“It’s really sad that within a week of Aaron’s death, there’s a publisher that seems to be recklessly pushing a book out to capitalize on this tragedy without taking appropriate time or care to fact check the validity of his work. To water down Aaron’s life story to what seems to be unverified click-bait for profit is disgusting.”
Big Umbrella Management’s Taylor Helgeson then told The Post while simultaneously grieving the loss of Aaron, they’ve been dealing with “obscenely disrespectful and unauthorized releases including an album titled blacklisted, a single titled ‘Lately’ and now a book.” He added:
“This is a time for mourning and reflection not heartless money grabs and attention seeking. We would ask the parties responsible to remove the aforementioned content and that no further content be released without approval from his family, friends, and associates.”
Despite facing backlash, the writer Andy insisted Aaron “hired me to help him tell the world his story,” explaining:
“That story, while tragically cut short, was filled with good and bad. His life was far from pretty, and understandably certain people in the public eye don’t want some of the stories Aaron tells in his book to come to light. That doesn’t make them any less true or newsworthy. Aaron had a right — as we all do — to tell his story. As a journalist, I am honored that he chose me to help him do that. In addition to being cathartic for him, Aaron hoped this book would help others struggling with addiction and mental illness. I hope and believe it will do that.”
Reactions to the latest in the memoir controversy, Perezcious readers? Are you surprised the publisher postponed the release of the book? Let us know in the comments below.
[Image via FayesVision/WENN, Aaron Carter/Instagram]
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