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Lou Pearlman, Backstreet Boys and ‘N Sync creator, dies in prison

Record impresario Lou Pearlman and singer Aaron Carter attend the 6th Annual T.J. Martell 'Family' Day' Indoor Carnival Benefit at Cipriani's Fifth Avenue March 6, 2005 in New York City. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Getty Images). Photo by Evan Agostini/Getty Images

Lou Pearlman, the man known for creating some of the biggest boy bands like the Backstreet Boys,‘N Sync and O-Town, died Friday in a federal Miami prison, where he was serving 25 years for fraud.

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Pearlman, 62, was convicted in 2008 for his role in a $300-million Ponzi scheme relating to two of his companies — Transcontinental Airlines Travel Services Inc. and Transcontinental Airlines Inc. — that only existed on paper.

READ MORE: Backstreet Boys hint they’re heading into country-music territory

His cause of death is unknown, according to NPR.

Pearlman had been serving his time in a low-security prison in Texarkana, Texas, but was recently moved to Miami, Billboard reports.

His death has sparked mixed emotions, especially from those he used to manage.

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Pearlman was inundated with hundreds of lawsuits from former investors and bands he used to manage, including one from the Backstreet Boys.

U.S. District Judge G. Kendall Sharp gave Pearlman the chance to cut his prison time by offering a one-month reprieve for every $1 million in cash he repaid to his victims. Theoretically, Pearlman could have cancelled his entire 300-month sentence by repaying the $300 million debt, but he never paid a cent.

READ MORE: ‘N Sync reunites for J.C. Chasez’s birthday, takes adorable photo

Pearlman, who used to be known as “Big Poppa,” was also famously accused of sexual misconduct with boy-band members in 2007, which was detailed in a Vanity Fair article.

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The manager denied the allegations and was never arrested or brought up on charges.

Pearlman is also known for managing other acts, including LFO, Take 5, Aaron Carter, Jordan Knight, Natural and US5.

With files from Reuters

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