Backstreet Boy A.J. McLean has checked into rehab for alcoholism and depression, his bandmates announced Monday, forcing the Fab Five to scrap several summer tour dates. Appearing on MTV's Total Request Live, Kevin Richardson, Howie Dorough, Nick Carter and Brian Littrell confirmed the news.
McLean, 23, will be in an undisclosed residential rehab center for 30 days, getting treatment for "clinical depression, anxiety and his excessive consumption of alcohol," Richardson said.
"We were advised...a lot of people told us we could just lie about it, but we're not going to lie to our fans, because eventually the truth would have come out. We didn't want to push it under the rug," Richardson said. "He's getting help. He's going to be better."
The news came just hours after the band announced it was postponing its remaining Boston shows this week because Carter broke his hand Saturday.
According to his bandmates, McLean confessed his problems to them over the weekend.
"He came to us yesterday for the first time," Littrell said. "I heard him say, 'Guys, I have a problem and I need to get help.' We figured this was the best for him. It's all about him being healthy.
"When you're trying to help someone who has a serious illness, they have to help themselves first before they can really receive help. They've gotta really want it."
The band blamed McLean's recent booze binge in part on the death of his grandmother.
"She passed away just recently and that really...just kind of sent him over the edge," Richardson said. "His grandmother was like a second mother to him...he grew up living with his grandmother and his grandfather and his mother in the same house."
When asked by TRL host Carson Daly if 30 days was enough to get straight, Dorough said the band would wait as long as necessary. "A.J.'s health is most important to us. We're all only human beings, and we love him as a brother. To us, if after 30 days he needs more time than that, then we're going to give him the time. I guess at that point we'll reevaluate the situation, because there's not 500 days in the year, and we're trying to finish off this tour and get over to Southeast Asia as well. But there's been no decision yet on what we're doing. We're just keeping our fingers crossed and counting on A.J. getting back."
"We trust that our fans--who've always stood by us--will understand this decision is absolutely necessary in order for A.J. to be well. We look forward to seeing all of you on the road soon," the band said in a statement following their MTV appearance.
The Boys launched their Black & Blue megatour in January, selling out shows in Mexico, South America and Puerto Rico. After a brief hiatus, the Florida-based quintet hit the circuit again in June, planning to perform nearly 50 shows in the States and Canada.
The band has called off all shows until August. Provided McLean gets a clean bill of health, the Backstreeters will resume touring August 7 in Vancouver. The 19 canceled dates will be made up in September, and ticketholders can get use existing tickets for the make-up dates or they can get a refund at the local ticket broker. (Complete information is available on the band's official Website, www.backstreetboys.com.)