Pop stars have paid tribute to Backstreet Boys and *NSync founder Lou Pearlman, who has died in prison aged 62 while serving a 25-year sentence for a massive Ponzi scheme.

*NSync singer Lance Bass wrote on Twitter:

Aaron Carter, younger brother of Backstreet Boy Nick added:

Ashley Parker Angel, who rose to fame in boyband O-Town after starring in Pearlman’s TV show Making The Band, wrote:

The mogul’s 300 million dollar (£230 million) Ponzi scheme through his Trans Continental companies was uncovered in 2006

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

Lou Pearlman, right, is escorted to an awaiting van in Yigo, Guam, Friday, June 15, 2007. Pearlman, who had been in hiding for several months, was found in Indonesia and expelled from the country Thursday. He was handed over to the FBI, who took him to the U.S. territory of Guam to appear before a federal judge on a bank fraud charge. Pearlman was held over Friday for another hearing next week. (AP Photo/Pacific Daily News, Masako Watanabe)(Masako Watanabe/AP)

He founded the Backstreet Boys in Florida in 1993, uniting five unknown singers – Carter, AJ McLean, Howie D, Kevin Richardson, and Brian Littrell – who went on the become the best-selling boy band of all time.

Backstreet Boys (l/r) Howie D, AJ, Brian, Nick and Kevin pictured at the Smash Hits Poll Winners Party at the Docklands Arena in London.(Fiona Hanson/PA)

He replicated his success when he founded *NSync in 1995, the band that would propel Justin Timberlake to global stardom.