Leslie Barbara Ashton ( Carter, June 6, 1986 – January 31, 2012) was an American pop singer. In 2001, she debuted through

DreamWorks Records DreamWorks Records (often referred in copyright notices as SKG Music, LLC) was an American record label founded in 1996 by David Geffen, Steven Spielberg and Jeffrey Katzenberg as a subsidiary of DreamWorks Pictures. The label operated until 200 ...

with the single " Like Wow!". Originally set to release her debut album through the label, it was later canceled. From 2006 to 2009, Carter was a member of the band she founded, The Other Half.

Life and family

Leslie Carter was born in

Tampa, Florida Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and ...

, the third of five children of Jane Elizabeth Spaulding Carter and the late Robert Carter (1952–2017). She was born at the Garden Villa Retirement Home, where the Carter family were living and working at the time. She was the older sister of singer

Aaron Carter Aaron Charles Carter (December 7, 1987November 5, 2022) was an American singer and rapper. He came to fame as a teen pop singer in the late 1990s, establishing himself as a star among preteen and teenage audiences during the first years of the ...

and his twin sister Angel Conrad (née Carter). and the younger sister of BJ Carter and Nick Carter. On September 12, 2008, Leslie Carter married Mike Ashton and moved to

Toronto, Ontario Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

, where she gave birth to a daughter in 2011. Leslie Carter experienced depression and mental illness. Prior to her death Leslie was planning to go to rehab for her addiction with help from Aaron. In 2019, her widower, Mike Ashton, was granted a

restraining order A restraining order or protective order, is an order used by a court to protect a person in a situation involving alleged domestic violence, child abuse, assault, harassment, stalking, or sexual assault. Restraining and personal protection or ...

against her brother Aaron. Later, Aaron claimed his sister raped him for three years, from the ages of 10 to 13.

Career

Early recordings

Carter signed a record deal with

in 1999 and began recording her debut album. This album was set for release in June 2000, but it was delayed because DreamWorks wanted to test Carter's fan base before releasing the album in order to ensure its success. Her single " Like Wow!" appeared on the ''

Shrek ''Shrek'' is a 2001 American computer-animated comedy film loosely based on the 1990 book of the same name by William Steig. It is the first installment in the ''Shrek'' franchise. The film was directed by Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenso ...

soundtrack A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack o ...

and received minor radio airplay, peaking at No. 99 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Her debut album '' Like Wow!'' was set for release on April 10, 2001. However, DreamWorks later canceled the release. The cancellation followed a number of reported problems from the set of her debut music video. Promo copies later became available online, and "Metal Mike" Saunders of ''

The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, the ''Voice'' began as a platform for the crea ...

'' described it as "the best bubblegum album of the entire '97–Y2K era." The album also included a cover of " They Don't Know" by

Kirsty MacColl Kirsty Anna MacColl (10 October 1959 – 18 December 2000) was a British singer and songwriter, daughter of folk singer Ewan MacColl. She recorded several pop hits in the 1980s and 1990s, including "There's a Guy Works Down the Chip Shop Swears He ...

The Other Half

Carter started a small club tour in Canada in December 2005, and had a showcase in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

on January 19, 2006, with hopes it would lead to a new record deal. The songs performed on this tour had her abandoning her

bubblegum pop Bubblegum (also called bubblegum pop) is pop music in a catchy and upbeat style that is considered disposable, contrived, or marketed for children and adolescents. The term also refers to a rock and pop subgenre, originating in the United States i ...

roots for a more mature, pop rock-oriented sound. Carter co-wrote her material with

High Holy Days The High Holidays also known as the High Holy Days, or Days of Awe in Judaism, more properly known as the Yamim Noraim ( he, יָמִים נוֹרָאִים, ''Yāmīm Nōrāʾīm''; "Days of Awe") #strictly, the holidays of Rosh HaShanah ("Jew ...

guitarist Dave Thompson. In late 2006, Carter founded the band The Other Half, which included her backup musicians Mike Ashton, DJ Porter, Casey Clowater, Paul Davidson, and Dave Thompson. The final line-up consisted of Carter (

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

), Ashton (

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

), Jason Eldon (

electric guitar An electric guitar is a guitar that requires external amplification in order to be heard at typical performance volumes, unlike a standard acoustic guitar (however combinations of the two - a semi-acoustic guitar and an electric acoustic gui ...

), and Sean Smit (

bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...

and

back-up vocals A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are used ...

). In September 2009, the band mutually decided to split up. Carter was seen writing music and performing her own songs for her siblings on the family's reality show ''

House of Carters ''House of Carters'' is an American reality show on E! in the United States & MuchMusic in Canada, about the lives of Backstreet Boy Nick Carter and his four siblings reuniting in Los Angeles (while Carter was gearing up for the Backstreet Boys ...

''.

Death

On January 31, 2012, at age 25, Carter, who had complained of feeling ill after falling in the shower, was found unresponsive at the home of Robert and her stepmother Ginger Elrod Carter, in Mayville, New York while she was visiting them. Leslie had fallen asleep after she fell in the shower and did not wake up. Leslie Carter was pronounced dead on arrival at Westfield Memorial Hospital in

Westfield, New York Westfield is a town in the western part of Chautauqua County, New York, United States. The population was 4,513 at the 2020 census. Westfield is also the name of a village within the town, containing 65% of the town's population. This unique to ...

. While not attributing a cause of death, a

Chautauqua County, New York Chautauqua County is the westernmost County (United States), county in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. As of the United States Census 2020, 2020 census, the population was 127,657. Its county seat is Mayville, New York, Mayville, an ...

, police incident report and supplemental "Overdose Follow Up" report said Carter had had an

overdose A drug overdose (overdose or OD) is the ingestion or application of a drug or other substance in quantities much greater than are recommended.

and was taking the prescription medications

olanzapine Olanzapine (sold under the trade name Zyprexa among others) is an atypical antipsychotic primarily used to treat schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. For schizophrenia, it can be used for both new-onset disease and long-term maintenance. It is ta ...

(Zyprexa),

cyclobenzaprine Cyclobenzaprine (sold under the brand name Flexeril, among others) is a medication used for muscle spasms from musculoskeletal conditions of sudden onset. It is not useful in cerebral palsy. It is taken by mouth. Use is not recommended for mor ...

muscle relaxant A muscle relaxant is a drug that affects skeletal muscle function and decreases the muscle tone. It may be used to alleviate symptoms such as muscle spasms, pain, and hyperreflexia. The term "muscle relaxant" is used to refer to two major therapeu ...

) and

alprazolam Alprazolam, sold under the brand name Xanax, among others, is a fast-acting, potent tranquilizer of medium duration in the triazolobenzodiazepine (TBZD) class, which are benzodiazepines (BZDs) fused with a triazole ring. It is most commonly u ...

(Xanax). Her daughter was 10 months old when she died. Her funeral took place at Freay Funeral Home in

Mayville, New York Mayville is a village in Chautauqua County, New York, United States. The population was 1,477 at the 2020 census, 13.7% less than in the 2010 census. Mayville is in the town of Chautauqua and is the county seat of Chautauqua County. The village ...

. Nick Carter did not attend the funeral because his family blamed him for Leslie's death.Nick Carter: My family blamed me for my sister's death
/ref> Leslie Carter is buried in Chautauqua Cemetery in

Chautauqua, New York Chautauqua ( ) is a town and lake resort community in Chautauqua County, New York, United States. The population was 4,017 at the 2020 census. The town is named after Chautauqua Lake. It is the home of the Chautauqua Institution and the birthplac ...

Discography

Albums

* '' Like Wow!'' – unreleased (2001)

Singles

* "I Need to Hear It from You" – promotional recording * " Like Wow!" – No. 99 US ''Billboard'' Hot 100

Filmography

* ''

'' (2006) (TV)

References

External links

Leslie Carter
at IMDb {{DEFAULTSORT:Carter, Leslie 1986 births 2012 deaths 20th-century American singers 20th-century American women singers 21st-century American singers 21st-century American women singers Aaron Carter Accidental deaths in New York (state) American child singers American expatriate musicians in Canada American women pop singers American women rock singers Burials in New York (state) Child pop musicians Drug-related deaths in New York (state) Musicians from Tampa, Florida Nick Carter (musician) Participants in American reality television series People from Chautauqua County, New York People from Ruskin, Florida People with bipolar disorder Singers from Florida Singers from New York (state)