Nick Carter Misses Sister Leslie Carter's Funeral

The show must go on? Backstreet Boy Nick Carter has missed his own sister's funeral. The singer gave a concert in Philadelphia and hosted a party at an Atlantic City resort on Saturday night, the same evening that funeral proceedings were held for little sister Leslie Carter.

"I wanted to be at my sister's funeral, but my family has always had a complicated dynamic. I love my family. I want to thank everyone for all of their compassion and support that I have received during this most difficult time. There are so many emotions for me surrounding the loss of my sister. I am trying to stay healthy, positive and focused," Nick, 32, said in a statement to The Insider.

Separately, Carter told website TMZ that he had wanted to attend the funeral in New York (which was attended by brother Aaron), but that his family had not disclosed the details.

Leslie died suddenly on February 1 from a reported overdose of prescription drugs meant to treat schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Stepmother Ginger Carter told the police that the 25-year-old Leslie had a "long history of mental illness" and that she had appeared depressed the morning that she died.

"Our family is grieving right now and it's a private matter," a spokeswoman for the family had said in a statement after news broke. "We are deeply saddened for the loss of our beloved sister, daughter, and granddaughter, Leslie Carter. We request the utmost privacy during this time."

The troubled Leslie appeared on the family's reality show, "House of Carter," in 2006 and aspired to be a singer like her famous older brothers.

CORRECTION: A previous version of this article misidentified Carter as a "former" Backstreet Boys member; it has been updated to reflect that Carter is still part of the vocal group.

Check out photos of the Carter siblings below: