Aaron Carter’s fans are upset that he was left off the Grammys show

Fans of the late singer Aaron Carter took to social media on Sunday to express their disappointment with the Recording Academy after the crooner “I Want Candy” was pulled from the 65th Grammy Awards broadcast.

Carter, who was found dead in November aged 34, was not included in the television ceremony’s annual In Memoriam segment, which features Loretta Lynn, David Crosby, Migos rapper Takeoff, Christine McVie of Fleetwood Mack, Coolio, Lisa Marie Presley and Olivia Newton were honored -John and DJ Twitch. Musicians Kacey Musgraves, Quavo von Migos, Sheryl Crow, Bonnie Raitt and Mick Fleetwood performed during the extended segment while the names and faces of the deceased artists were projected behind them.

Although Carter never won or was nominated for a Grammy Award, the pop star had a sizable following. The former child star, the younger brother of Backstreet Boys singer Nick Carter, began his career in 1997 at the age of 9 with his self-titled debut album. That year he opened for the Backstreet Boys on their tour. He also appeared as the opening act for Britney Spears.

Carter quickly gained popularity with the songs “Aaron’s Party (Come Get It)”, “Crazy Little Party Girl”, “I Want Candy” and “That’s How I Beat Shaq”.

“How dare you not recognize @aaroncarter at the Grammys during video tribute to musicians who passed away last year #boycottgrammys” tweeted a fan.

“I scold. I don’t like the fact that Aaron Carter wasn’t mentioned last night. Maybe he wasn’t “relevant” when he died, but he was a huge pop star for the ’90s generation. Another case of forces chewing and spitting out young people, filling them with trauma. Disgusting,” tweeted other.

Others, however, were less sympathetic.

“The #GRAMMYs will not write a memoir about someone who beats animals, abused drugs, treated people horribly, threatened to kill their family and waved guns at IG-Leben #aaroncarter,” wrote another User.

Carter’s former fiancee Melanie Martin, who has a son with Carter, told TMZ Monday that she was baffled by the omission. She told the site that all Carter ever wanted was recognition for his music and that the apparent failure was a slap in the face to his legacy. Martin tells the Academy to make amends.

However, the Recording Academy did include Carter in its four-page list of creators and artists commemorated in the ceremony’s official schedule. A fan took notice on Twitter and circled Carter’s name the document, which is also available online.

Officials from the Recording Academy and CBS declined to comment Monday when reached by The Times.

Foo Fighters fans were also upset that drummer Taylor Hawkins wasn’t part of the segment either. However, Hawkins, who died in March 2022, was included in last year’s farewell due to the 64th Grammy Awards airing quite late (in April). Hawkins was also scheduled to perform during this ceremony.