Angel Carter had been preparing for the death of his twin brother Aaron for years

• Angel Carter spoke this week about the death of her twin brother Aaron on The squeeze Podcast
• Aaron died in 2022 at the age of 34 from drowning caused by inhaling difluoroethane and taking alprazolam
• The singer of “I Want Candy” struggled with his addiction for years before he died

Angel Carter was heartbroken over the death of her twin brother Aaron Carter, but she said she was prepared to deal with it when it happened in 2022.

In the episode of Wednesday, 26 June The squeeze In a podcast, Angel, 36, told hosts Taylor Lautner and Tay Lautner that the untimely death of her sister Leslie – who died of an overdose in 2012 at age 25 – actually prepared her for Aaron, who died by drowning at age 34 after inhaling difluoroethane and taking alprazolam (a generic form of Xanax).

“What’s interesting about Leslie’s death…she died when I was 23, her death took me completely by surprise,” Angel said. “I didn’t see it coming. When she died, I was already in therapy and preparing myself for Aaron’s death. I thought he was going to die.”

Angel also said she was “terrified” of Aaron’s eventual death for her “entire twenties,” saying, “I knew this day would come.”

“I think he knew it too,” she added, attributing Aaron’s death to the fact that he “couldn’t get out of the cycle of addiction” despite seeking treatment before his death.

Angel further explained that she had been a “tough” but “honest” sister to Aaron as she tried to help him battle drug addiction, but he apparently rejected her efforts.

“I was the peacemaker in my family, the mediator. Like, ‘Let’s just hug each other. Everything will be fine.’ And he didn’t want to hear that from me,” she revealed about her brother. “He needed his parents’ help.”

Angel spoke to PEOPLE in 2023 about Aaron’s death and her family’s “painful” past. She recalled how her parents abused alcohol during her childhood and said those issues created a toxic family dynamic that ultimately worsened after Aaron and her brother Nick became stars as children.

“Fame and money have taken over our family,” she said.

After Aaron fell into addiction – evident by a handful of arrests for driving under the influence and drug possession – Angel called the overdose death of her sister Leslie and the sudden death of her father Robert Carter in 2017 the “beginning of the end” for her twin brother.

“Aaron was already in a bad place, but it was like a domino effect,” she continued. “He wanted to be happy so badly. He really fought to the end, but he just had too many problems that couldn’t be solved. He had become a person we didn’t recognize. I don’t even think he recognized himself.”

Angel paid tribute to Aaron following his death on November 5, 2022, by posting a series of baby photos of the two on Instagram. In a caption, she wrote, “To my twin… I loved you beyond measure. You will be greatly missed. My funny, sweet Aaron. I have so many memories of you and me and I promise to cherish them. I know you are resting in peace now. I will carry you with me until I die and see you again. 💔.”