If you thought breaking up the band was bad, wait until you hear how it all ended for the man behind the music. Up ahead, we’re diving into how Lou Pearlman died following his journey from boy band mogul to convicted fraudster.
Born in 1954 in New York City, Pearlman’s journey to music industry fame followed a bit of an unusual path. As a kid, he was obsessed with blimps—not Billboard charts. This passion led him to start an aviation company, but his real success began when he decided to merge his business with the world of pop music.
In 1992, he set up an advertisement seeking the next big thing in boy bands. The ad led him to the Backstreet Boys, who skyrocketed to become the best-selling boy band in history. Not content with just one success, he followed up by creating NSYNC, cementing his status as the architect of the ’90s pop landscape.
But Pearlman’s empire wasn’t built on solid ground. Behind the chart-topping success of his boy bands was a web of legal troubles that would eventually land him in prison. Keep on reading ahead for everything we know about Pearlman’s final days behind bars and the complicated legacy he left behind.
How did Lou Pearlman die?
Lou Pearlman died on August 19, 2016, while serving a 25-year sentence at the Federal Correctional Institution in Miami, Florida. He was 62 years old. According to the Miami-Dade Medical Examiner, his official cause of death was an infection following surgery to replace a heart valve.
Pearlman had been incarcerated since 2008 after being convicted of running one of the largest Ponzi schemes in American history. For over 20 years, Pearlman had defrauded investors of over $300 million through a fake employee investment program and nonexistent companies. It all came crashing down for him in 2007, when the FBI raided Pearlman’s home and offices, leading to his arrest in Indonesia after months on the run. He was sentenced to 25 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy, money laundering, and making false statements during a bankruptcy proceeding.
Pearlman’s health declined significantly during his incarceration. In 2010, he suffered a stroke, which prison staff managed to get him treatment for in time to save his life. Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter in 2014, Pearlman shared that he had lost considerable weight in prison, dropping from 325 pounds to 250 pounds. He credited this weight loss to daily walks and a change in diet, stating, “If I would have kept on going with my lovely steaks and onion rings and fries, I’d probably be dead right now from a heart attack.”
But despite his best efforts to improve his health, Pearlman’s cardiac issues persisted, leading to his death from a heart attack in August 2016.
How did musicians react to Lou Pearlman’s death?
The news of Pearlman’s death brought up mixed reactions from the music industry, particularly from members of the boy bands he founded and managed. Understandably, many struggled to reconcile their complicated feelings towards the man who had both launched their careers and betrayed their trust.
Lance Bass of NSYNC expressed his conflicted emotions in a 2019 20/20 special. “When I heard that Lou Pearlman had passed away, I was so confused on exactly how to feel,” Bass revealed. “I was like, ‘How could you die right now when we don’t have this closure? You need to apologize! Like, there are so many people who are waiting for you to realize what you did.’” The singer admitted feeling angry about Pearlman’s death, stating, “It pissed me off that he passed away.”
Bass’s reaction highlighted the complex relationship many artists had with Pearlman. “You feel happy that no one else is going to be affected by him, and then you feel guilty because you feel that way,” he explained. “You loved him, you hated him, there are so many things that come out with Lou Pearlman.”
Justin Timberlake, another NSYNC alum, struck a gentler chord on Twitter following Pearlman’s death, writing, “I hope he found some peace. God bless and RIP, Lou Pearlman.”
Other stars, like Aaron Carter, also expressed their gratitude to Pearlman while acknowledging his failings. Carter tweeted, “#LouPearlman my old manager died in prison… Rip Lou not the best business guy really at all but he did discover me karma is real.”
AJ McLean of the Backstreet Boys also shared his conflicted emotions, tweeting, “Many emotions at the news of Lou’s passing. Without Lou I wouldn’t have met my four brothers or had the opportunity of a lifetime. RIP.”
Ashley Parker Angel, a member of O-Town, which was formed during Pearlman’s MTV show Making the Band, offered his own perspective following his death. Sharing a photo of Pearlman with O-Town, he wrote, “Love him or hate him, Lou gave many of us our start. It’s a shame he let greed get in his way.”
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