‘Dirty Pop: The Boy Band Scam’: How did Lou Pearlman die?

Dirty Pop: The Boy Band Scam is our current Netflix binge-watch obsession, and it’s a harsh reminder that while I’ll always love certain things about the ’90s, like teen dramas and cozy fashion, there were some dark moments, too. One of the saddest parts of this decade was the financial scheme that boy band manager Lou Pearlman orchestrated.

Since we needed something to watch while waiting for Cobra Kai part 2, and we finished all of Baby Reindeer a while ago, we dove right into Dirty Pop. But while we were glad to hear some of our favorite *NSYNC and Backstreet Boys songs again, we also learned a lot about Lou Pearlman’s story, including how he passed away.

How did Lou Pearlman die and what did Dirty Pop: The Boy Band Scam say about it?

Lou Pearlman died on August 19, 2016 and as Dirty Pop: The Boy Band Scam explained, he passed away during an intense operation. He once had a heart valve replacement, and when he had an infection in that area, he needed to get another one. But when he was put in a voluntary coma for the surgery, he passed away.

The Netflix limited series explores the difficult emotions people grappled with after learning about what happened and it painted a brutal picture of the end of Pearlman’s life. Pearlman and Michael Johnson, a member of the boy band Natural who was so close to Pearlman that he was in Bali with him when he was arrested, still kept in touch. Pearlman kept lying, claiming he was “doing his thing” in prison and meeting with lawyers and seemed hopeful he would be released.

We didn’t hear from all of *NSYNC or the Backstreet Boys in Dirty Pop, but they have spoken elsewhere. According to USA Today, Lance Bass said on 20/20 that he was angry and thought, “How could you die right now when we don’t have this closure? You need to apologize!”

Pearlman’s colleagues and friends shared in Dirty Pop that he didn’t appear to feel terrible about his investment fraud, a fact that remained the same even when he passed away.