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, Mo Ostin, his son Michael Ostin and Lenny Waronker as a subsidiary of DreamWorks Pictures. The label opera ...

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

Personal 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. Tampa'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 t ...

, the third of five children of Jane Eleonora Schneck (1958–) (née Spaulding, previously 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 th ...

(1987–2022) and his twin sister Angel Conrad (née Carter) and the younger sister of Bobbie Jean Carter (1982–2023) and

Nick Carter Nickolas Gene Carter (born January 28, 1980) is an American singer, the lead vocalist of the vocal group Backstreet Boys, and an alleged rapist. As of 2015, he has released three solo albums, '' Now or Never'', '' I'm Taking Off'' and '' All A ...

(1980–). She also had an older half-sister named Ginger (1972–2023) and a younger half-brother named Kaden. On September 12, 2008, Leslie Carter married her partner Mike Ashton and moved to

Toronto, Ontario Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

, 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 often involving alleged domestic violence, child abuse and neglect, assault, harassment, stalking, or sexual assault. Restraining and perso ...

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 animated fantasy comedy film directed by Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson, and written by Ted Elliott, Terry Rossio, Joe Stillman, and Roger S. H. Schulman, loosely based on the 1990 children's picture boo ...

soundtrack A soundtrack is a recorded audio signal accompanying and synchronised to the images of a book, drama, motion picture, radio program, television show, television program, or video game; colloquially, a commercially released soundtrack album of m ...

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 publication based in Greenwich Village, New York City, known for being the country's first Alternative newspaper, alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf (publisher), Dan Wolf, ...

'' 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. The 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 ...

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 (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

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 marketed for children and adolescents. The term also refers to a more specific rock and pop subgenre, originating in the United States in the late 1960s, th ...

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

High Holy Days In Judaism, the High Holy Days, also known as High Holidays or Days of Awe (Yamim Noraim; , ''Yāmīm Nōrāʾīm'') consist of: #strictly, the holidays of Rosh Hashanah ("Jewish New Year") and Yom Kippur ("Day of Atonement"); #by extension, th ...

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

vocals Singing is the art of creating music with the voice. It is the oldest form of musical expression, and the human voice can be considered the first musical instrument. The definition of singing varies across sources. Some sources define sing ...

), Ashton (

drums The drum is a member of the percussion instrument, percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel–Sachs classification system, it is a membranophones, membranophone. Drums consist of at least one Acoustic membrane, membrane, c ...

), Jason Eldon (

electric guitar An electric guitar is a guitar that requires external electric Guitar amplifier, sound amplification in order to be heard at typical performance volumes, unlike a standard acoustic guitar. It uses one or more pickup (music technology), pickups ...

), and Sean Smit (

bass guitar The bass guitar (), also known as the electric bass guitar, electric bass, or simply the bass, is the lowest-pitched member of the guitar family. It is similar in appearance and construction to an Electric guitar, electric but with a longer nec ...

and back-up vocals). 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''.

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 ...

. While not attributing a cause of death, a

Chautauqua County, New York Chautauqua County is the westernmost county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 127,657. Its county seat is Mayville, and its largest city is Jamestown. Its name is believed to be the lone surviving rem ...

, police incident report and supplemental "Overdose Follow Up" report said Carter 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. Retrieved on September 20, 2014.

and was taking the prescription medications

olanzapine Olanzapine, sold under the brand name Zyprexa among others, is an atypical antipsychotic primarily used to treat schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. It is also sometimes used off-label for treatment of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomitin ...

(Zyprexa),

cyclobenzaprine Cyclobenzaprine, sold under several brand names including, historically, Flexeril, is a muscle relaxer used for muscle spasms from musculoskeletal conditions of sudden onset. It is not useful in cerebral palsy. It is taken by mouth. Common ...

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 moderate duration within the triazolobenzodiazepine group of chemicals called benzodiazepines. Alprazolam is most commonly prescribed in the ...

(Xanax). A decade later, Leslie's younger brother Aaron also died of a multiple drug overdose involving Xanax. Leslie's daughter was 10 months old at the time of her mother's death. Her funeral took place at Freay Funeral Home in

Mayville, New York Mayville is a Administrative divisions of New York#Village, village in the town of Chautauqua, New York. It is the county seat of Chautauqua County, New York, Chautauqua County. The population was 1,477 at the 2020 census, 13.7% less than in the ...

. Nick Carter did not attend the funeral; according to Nick, he stayed away because his family blamed him for Leslie's death and wanted him to be absent from the funeral. Leslie Carter is buried in Chautauqua Cemetery in

Chautauqua, New York Chautauqua ( ) is a Administrative divisions of New York#Town, town and lake resort community in Chautauqua County, New York, Chautauqua County, New York (state), New York. The population was 4,009 at the 2020 census. The town is named after Cha ...

Discography

Albums

* ''Like Wow!'' – unreleased (2001)

Singles

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

Filmography

* '' House of Carters'' (2006) (TV)

References

External links

* * * {{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 American child pop musicians Deaths attributed to Xanax overdose 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)