Lou Pearlman, founder of US boybands Backstreet Boys and NSync has died in prison aged 62, while serving a 25-year sentence for fraud.

Pearlman put the five unknown singers - Carter, A. J. McLean, Howie D., Kevin Richardson, and Brian Littrell - together in Florida in 1993.

They became known as the Backstreet Boys and went on to become the best-selling boy band of all time.

He later founded NSync in 1995, the band that would propel Justin Timberlake to global stardom.

Pearlman's 300 million dollar (£230m) Ponzi scheme through his Trans Continental companies was uncovered in 2006.

The mogul then fled to Indonesia but was captured by authorities in 2007. He was convicted of fraud in 2008 and sentenced to 25 years in prison.

Writing on Twitter, former NSync singer Lance Bass said Pearlman "might not have been a stand up businessman, but I wouldn't be doing what I love today without his influence".

Ashley Parker Angel, who rose to fame in boyband O-Town after featuring on Pearlman's TV show Making The Band, posted a picture of him with the group.

"Love him or hate him, Lou gave many of us our start. It's a shame he let greed get in his way, " he wrote.