On Wednesday, we learned that police suspect that Leslie Carter, the sister of popstars Nick and Aaron Carter, died at the age of 25 as the result of a drug overdose. That same night, Nick performed a concert at Irving Plaza in NYC and paid homage to his late sister by dedicating a song to her memory. As I understand it, Nick was emotional all night long and had to leave the stage for a short while after he performed the song Falling Down for his sister Leslie. Click below to check out some photos from Nick‘s show this week and watch video of her performance of Falling Down.

In what must have been the most poignant performance of his life, Nick Carter took to the stage in New York last night to pay tribute to his tragic sister. The former Backstreet Boys singer dedicated a moving ballad to the 25-year-old, who died earlier this week of a suspected drug overdose. Nick, 32, was upbeat at the start of his gig, but then became wistful as he introduced Falling Down. He said: ‘I’ve never done this before and I never thought I’d ever have to, but I’d like to dedicate this song to my sister,’ People.com reports. Nick then did a rendition of the Backstreet Boys song I Want It That Way, telling the crowd: ‘Let’s celebrate her life.’ The singer was performing at New York City’s Irving plaza. Members of the crowd held up pink paper hearts which they had made specially in honour of Leslie – which Nick acknowledged during his show. A friend of Carter’s told People.com he was surprised the singer had carried on with the show following Leslie’s death on Monday. He told the website:’He said he didn’t want to talk to anyone before the show, but to make sure I come backstage after. He hasn’t talked to me about it yet but he seems fine.’ Meanwhile Leslie’s brother Aaron took to Twitter to express his mix of emotions over her death. He tweeted: ‘#broken #distraught #pain #confusion #disbelief #agony #Anger #lost #Sad #Family #LeslieCarter #empty #Leslie #dazed #Heaven #Sister.’ He also wrote: ‘My “Family” Appreciates your love and prayers, My Father (Bob Carter) My mother (Jane) (Angel) (Bobbie Jean) & her husband (Mike Ashton).’ According to a police report, Leslie Carter endured a long battle with mental illness and depression before overdosing. She died in New York leaving behind a 10-month-old daughter Allysa Jane and husband, Mike Ashton … Her family, who are making preparations for her funeral next week, will decide whether to release the cause of death publicly. ‘We are deeply saddened for the loss of our beloved sister, daughter, and granddaughter Leslie Carter,’ the family told Access Hollywood in a statement. Our family is grieving right now and it’s a private matter.’ Nick, 32, is scheduled to take to the road with the Backstreet Boys later this spring and dedicated the upcoming tour to his sister. His publicist Jack Ketsoyan [says]: ‘Nick is thankful to the many people and the fans who have shared their wishes and prayers during this tragic time. We want to let the fans know the tour will go on as promised.’ Nick said: ‘Performing is cathartic to me and I am dedicating the rest of my tour to my sister since she loved to watch me perform.’

This is just so sad. It must be very difficult for Nick to move forward with the successes in his life when dealing with such a tragic loss. It’s really tragic to hear of Leslie‘s struggle with depression before she died … the girl was only 25! The fact that she leaves behind a husband and a 1 year old daughter is just … man, so sad. Here is video of Nick‘s performance of Falling Down:

Here’s hoping the Carter family will be able to heal quickly from this loss. They’ve already endured much sadness and tragedy in their lives … I sincerely pray that their days of suffering will be over soon. It’s no secret that other members of the Carter family have struggled with substance abuse. If anything good can come of this loss, hopefully other members of the family will finally clean up their acts.

[Photo credit: Wireimage; Source]

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