Nick Carter was touring with the Backstreet Boys in Europe when he started experiencing fatigue and a mild discomfort in his chest. Concerned for himself, the singer, who was only 29 at the time, went to see a cardiologist back in Florida and do a series of medical tests. But, just before he was due to get his results back, Carter went off on a self-destructive bender. “I went out and just went nuts,” he told People. “I drank so much and I did a bunch of blow.” He added, “I felt like I was trying to kill myself — because I didn’t want to get the results.”
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When he did learn about his diagnosis, Carter was justifiably horrified. He revealed that he was diagnosed with a heart disease called cardiomyopathy, which is a condition that makes it harder for the heart to pump blood to the rest of the body and causes heart failure, according to Mayo Clinic. (Singer George Michael, comedian Jerry Lewis, and actor Chris Penn all died of the same disease.) Immediately, Carter knew that he would have to straighten himself out if he didn’t want to suffer the same fate. “My doctor said, ‘You need to change your lifestyle. I don’t want you to end up like that,'” recalled Carter. “I was like, ‘I don’t want to end up like that either. … I don’t want to die.'”
