Aaron Carter’s ex Melanie Martin is thrilled after being granted full custody of their 13-month-old son Prince — but she wishes the late singer could share in the joyful moment with her.
“I am extremely happy to have my son back but very sad that Aaron couldn’t share this time together with me as a family,” Martin, 30, said in a statement to Us Weekly on Friday, December 16. “My heart has been heavy the past few days, realizing that I won’t be spending Christmas as a family with Aaron and my son.”
In September, Carter revealed that he and this then-fiancée had lost custody of their son due to domestic violence and drug-use concerns during an interview with The Sun, but noted that he had voluntarily entered a month-long outpatient program through Lionrock Recovery.
“I decided to enroll myself into that program. This will be my fifth time in rehabilitation, mainly to take care of aftercare,” he told the outlet. “There’s been no relapses. I haven’t had any relapses … it’s just triggers are big right now for me. You know, so, I just, I want my son back.”
On Friday, Martin spoke candidly about Carter’s future holiday plans, telling Us that the Florida native hoped “we could get custody of our son by Christmas.”
“He said he couldn’t wait to get custody of Prince so we could vacation together in Colorado for Christmas,” she shared. “He wanted to sit by the fireplace and watch the snow.”
Carter was found dead in his home on November 5, a rep for the “I Want Candy” singer confirmed to Us at the time. He was 34. While his official cause of death has not yet been revealed, the musician struggled with his mental health and had a history of substance abuse.
One month prior to his passing, the “Aaron’s Party” artist listed his house in California in hopes of turning over a new leaf. “Selling my 2nd home. Real estate has been super good to me. Ready for a new chapter in my 3rd home which I plan on staying to make a beautiful life for my family,” he wrote via Twitter at the time.
Last month, the “Crush on You” crooner’s mother, Jane Carter, told TMZ that Martin wouldn’t be invited to disperse Aaron’s remains in the Florida Keys. The family also planned to spread some of Leslie Carter’s ashes. Aaron’s older sister died of a drug overdose in February 2012 at the age of 25. (In addition to Leslie, Aaron had six other siblings: Nick, 42, Bobbie Jean, 40, Angel, 34, and half-siblings Virginia and Kaden. He was also stepbrother to Taelyn Dobson.)
A source exclusively told Us at the time that while Martin would not receive any of Aaron’s remains, the OnlyFans content creator planned to have her own service.
“Since they are not inviting her to the memorial to spread his ashes, she is going to have her own memorial for Aaron with her family, their son Prince and some of Aaron’s true friends,” the insider shared.
Martin, for her part, told Us that she didn’t want “any problems or stress over Aaron’s estate,” and was only concerned that Prince would be “taken care of” and Carter’s “legacy would live on.”
‘She added, “I don’t want any bad blood with Aaron’s family. Whoever wants to be in Prince’s life can be in Prince’s life.”
On December 4, Jane told TMZ that the Carter family had no plans to fight for her late son’s wealth and that his relatives have agreed the money should go to Prince. Jane also confirmed that the family hadn’t met Martin or Prince yet but they hope to have a relationship with them eventually.