Biography
McLean was born in West Palm Beach, Florida. His parents divorced and his father left the family when McLean was two, and he was raised by his mother and maternal grandparents. In 1990, he moved to Orlando, Florida with his mother to concentrate on his acting and singing career.
In 1992, McLean was recruited to become a member of the Backstreet Boys. Nick Carter, Howie Dorough, Kevin Richardson and Brian Littrell were chosen as the other members of the band. The Backstreet Boys became one of the top-selling bands of their era, selling over 40 million albums in the U.S. and 90 million worldwide.
AJ is one of the most popular members of the group. In 2005 the 'Boys' released their 5th studio album, Never Gone which sold millions of copies within the first month. The group is supposed to release their next album in June 2007.
Rising to fame in his early teens, McLean became known as the "bad boy" of the group. In 2001, the other band members reportedly became distressed by AJ's self-destructive behavior. Following an intervention, McLean entered rehab for alcoholism and drug abuse.
In December 2003, McLean and his mother appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show to talk about his recovery from depression, alcoholism, and drug use.
The band reunited for a world tour in 2004 and released a comeback album entitled "Never Gone" on June 14, 2005.
McLean created a character, who he named Johnny No Name, to use as his alter ego. He uses it as his name when not performing with other members of the Backstreet Boys.
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