A.J.'s mom says her Backstreet Boy son is on the mend.
"The first thing I heard in his voice was relief," A.J. McLean's mom, Denise McLean, told MTV about her conversation with A.J. who is in rehab. "He felt he was safe and getting what he needed."
The pop star stunned Backstreet fans earlier this week by voluntarily checking into a rehabilitation facility to deal with his problems with alcohol and depression. A.J.'s rehab has forced the Backstreet Boys to postpone their summer tour.
Denise said A.J. told her that he's already feeling better and has started to deal with the depression that reportedly caused his alcoholism. The singer's mom went on to say that the fan reaction to A.J.'s problems has been overwhelmingly positive.
Denise hopes to visit A.J. this coming weekend and is planning to bring him an assortment of supportive fan letters and positive web postings from MTV's feedback section.
Johnny Wright, who used to manage Backstreet and currently is the manager for *Nsync, also expressed support for A.J. saying that he considers A.J. "part of my family" and that he's very proud of A.J. for seeking help.
"Not only myself," said Wright, "but all five members of *Nsync send our thoughts and prayers."
According to those close to A.J., there are a number of causes for the singer's battle with the bottle. A.J. has reportedly been depressed for some time and his mother said the tremendous pressure her son is under as a music star is also a factor in A.J.'s alcoholism.
"I think it's practically like all the odds are against you," she told MTV. "If something doesn't happen, it's definitely by the grace of God. You lose your identity and become this icon people want to look up to. That puts pressure on you."
Denise sounded hopeful about A.J.'s intensive, 30-day, rehabilitation program although she wouldn't promise that her son would be well enough to jump back on the Backstreet Boy tour wagon immediately after finishing the program.
Concerned A.J. fans can send letters of support to:
A.J. McLean/Johnny No Name
P.O. Box 691809
Orlando, Florida
32869
-- AllPop
