Rising Country Music Star Justin Carter Killed In Gun Accident At 35

A country singer on the brink of stardom was killed in an apparent accident involving a gun that was to have been used as a prop in a music video, according to reports.

Justin Carter, a 35-year-old father of two young daughters, had just released a new single, “Love Affair,” and was about to embark on tour when he was fatally shot by a gun that was to have been used in the video filming in the Houston area on March 16, ABC 13 reported.

Carter’s manager, Mark Atherton, told “Entertainment Tonight” that Carter was leaving his apartment to work on the video when the gun discharged. The apartment was in Spring, Texas, north of Houston.

“We don’t know how, but the gun went off; the bullet entered his head,” Atherton said. “It was ruled an accidental shooting by the Montgomery County Sherriff’s Department in Texas.” The sheriff’s office did not immediately respond to a HuffPost request for comment.

Carter’s Instagram announced his death, noting that he was always “fully of joy, laughter” and “appreciated all his fans.”

Carter’s mother, Cindy McClellan told Fox News a gun in his pocket “went off and caught my son in the corner of his eye.”

“He was a wonderful artist,” she told Fox News. “He was the total package.”

McClellan added that Carter was soon to embark on a 10-state concert tour.

Atherton, of Triple Threat Management, which had recently signed the singer, told ABC 13 that Carter “had a potential ... to be the next Garth Brooks.”

Carter was “kind of like the class clown,” Atherton added. “But when it was time to get down to business, he got down to it.”

Atherton told the station he planned to release the rest of Carter’s music so all the proceeds could go to his family.

This article has been updated to include Mark Atherton’s comments that Carter died at his apartment before he went to work on a video shoot.

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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.