AJ McLean

AJ McLean rose to fame as one of the members of the Backstreet Boys.

The Florida native grew up with a slight lisp and stutter, but he found his passion for the arts at a young age. He began to grow an interest in dance and took a variety of courses including jazz, hip-hop, ballroom, salsa and even gymnastics. At age 5, he began modeling. When he got older, McLean performed in school plays. McLean got his first acting role in the 1986 film Truth or Dare? and his family moved from West Palm Beach to Kissimmee so he could pursue an acting career.

In 1992, the dancer auditioned for a musical group and became the first official member of the Backstreet Boys. He was later joined by Nick Carter, Howie Dorough, Kevin Richardson and Brian Littrell. The boy band rose to fame in the 90s and grew even more successful in the early 2000s. Despite their success, the group took a hiatus from 2002 to 2004 and ultimately got back together.

In addition to his success in BSB, McLean went on to pursue solo ventures including his alter ego, Johnny No Name. He also released his own album, Have It All, in 2010. Ten years later, he competed in Dancing With the Stars with partner Cheryl Burke.

McLean has been candid about his struggles with addiction, which began when he was 22 years old. Throughout his decades-long battle, he has been to rehab multiple times and has overdosed twice.

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In 2011, the singer married Rochelle McLean. The twosome share two daughters, Elliott, born in 2012, and Lyric, born in 2017. Us Weekly confirmed in March 2023 that the duo were calling it quits after 11 years of marriage. They noted in a statement at the time they hoped to reunite.