ALEXANDER JAMES MCLEAN
Name: Alexander James McLean
Born: 9 January 1978 West Palm Beach, Florida, United States
Alexander James McLean (born January 9, 1978) is an American musician and
member of the singing group Backstreet Boys.
McLean was born in West Palm Beach, Florida to Denise Fernandez and Bob McLean.
His parents divorced and his father left the family when McLean was two, and he
was raised by his mother and maternal grandparents, Ursula and Adolph Fernandez.
In 1990, he moved to Orlando, Florida with his mother to concentrate on his
acting and singing career. After numerous auditions for various Nickelodeon and
Disney projects, including the Nickelodeon show "GUTS," he landed a role in
Nickelodeon's Welcome Freshmen, and in a comedy series called Hi Honey, I'm Home!
on which he played a character named "Skunk".
Rising to fame in his early teens, McLean became known as the "bad boy" of the
musical group known as the Backstreet Boys. In 2001, the other band members
reportedly became distressed by A.J.'s self-destructive behavior. Following an
intervention, McLean entered rehab for alcoholism and cocaine abuse. His mother,
Denise McLean, later authored the book Backstreet Mom, describing A.J.'s life
before, during, and after rehab.
In December 2003, McLean and his mother appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show to
talk about his recovery from clinical depression, alcoholism, and drug use.
Kevin Richardson, Brian Littrell, Howie Dorough, and Nick Carter surprised
McLean by appearing on the show to talk about their experiences with his
addictions and to offer their support for his rehabilitation. This was the first
time all five Backstreet Boys had appeared together in public in almost two
years.
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. The character has similarities to McLean; for instance, both
had single mothers, and lived with their grandparents from a young age. There
are also differences - Johnny has been to prison whereas AJ has not.
McLean has occasionally performed in rock/metal clubs around New York under his
alter ego, Johnny No Name. He established a foundation called the JNN Foundation
to raise funds for diabetes research and other causes like keeping music
programs into schools. McLean also did a nine-city tour to support VH1 Save the
Music as Johnny No Name.
Originally McLean's alter ego was named Johnny Suede. It shared names with a
character played by Brad Pitt and when the studio threatened to sue McLean, he
changed the name to Johnny No Name.
Name: Alexander James McLean
Born: 9 January 1978 West Palm Beach, Florida, United States
Alexander James McLean (born January 9, 1978) is an American musician and
member of the singing group Backstreet Boys.
McLean was born in West Palm Beach, Florida to Denise Fernandez and Bob McLean.
His parents divorced and his father left the family when McLean was two, and he
was raised by his mother and maternal grandparents, Ursula and Adolph Fernandez.
In 1990, he moved to Orlando, Florida with his mother to concentrate on his
acting and singing career. After numerous auditions for various Nickelodeon and
Disney projects, including the Nickelodeon show "GUTS," he landed a role in
Nickelodeon's Welcome Freshmen, and in a comedy series called Hi Honey, I'm Home!
on which he played a character named "Skunk".
Rising to fame in his early teens, McLean became known as the "bad boy" of the
musical group known as the Backstreet Boys. In 2001, the other band members
reportedly became distressed by A.J.'s self-destructive behavior. Following an
intervention, McLean entered rehab for alcoholism and cocaine abuse. His mother,
Denise McLean, later authored the book Backstreet Mom, describing A.J.'s life
before, during, and after rehab.
In December 2003, McLean and his mother appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show to
talk about his recovery from clinical depression, alcoholism, and drug use.
Kevin Richardson, Brian Littrell, Howie Dorough, and Nick Carter surprised
McLean by appearing on the show to talk about their experiences with his
addictions and to offer their support for his rehabilitation. This was the first
time all five Backstreet Boys had appeared together in public in almost two
years.
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. The character has similarities to McLean; for instance, both
had single mothers, and lived with their grandparents from a young age. There
are also differences - Johnny has been to prison whereas AJ has not.
McLean has occasionally performed in rock/metal clubs around New York under his
alter ego, Johnny No Name. He established a foundation called the JNN Foundation
to raise funds for diabetes research and other causes like keeping music
programs into schools. McLean also did a nine-city tour to support VH1 Save the
Music as Johnny No Name.
Originally McLean's alter ego was named Johnny Suede. It shared names with a
character played by Brad Pitt and when the studio threatened to sue McLean, he
changed the name to Johnny No Name.