How do I cancel my account?

You don't have to cancel your AOL account to get a new e-mail address.  Many people have more than one e-mail account/address.

If you pay for AOL, sign on and go to keyword: CANCEL or https://bill.aol.com/changePlan/changePlan.adp?jsppage=support_portal/jsp/change_price_plan.jsp?originator=cancel and follow the instructions.  Your account won't go away, but will be changed to a free account.  Then you can stop using it if you wish and not worry about bills.

We value your membership with the AOL® community, and we are sorry that you're considering canceling your account. It's our mission to build a service that lives up to the highest standards of the online community, and we hope you've enjoyed being an AOL member. Before you cancel, please take a moment to consider other options available to our members.

AOL now gives you the freedom to select from a variety of account options located at cancel.aol.com. You can enjoy the benefits of  a paid or free membership even if you decide to move to a high-speed connection or another service provider. 

If you still wish to cancel your membership, please visit cancel.aol.com. Located on the right of the page is the Frequently Asked Questions section and by selecting the link, "How do I cancel my paid member account or convert it to a free member account?", you will be able to action your account accordingly. Once again we appreciate your membership.

ok, but how do I delete an account made on aim? I have no choice it's a legal issue...I never actually had aol paid or free service just made an AIM account

okay i have a free account and i dont want it anymore and this whole 'we're so sorry that you are considering canceling your account' crap isnt working i wanna delete this cause im tired of trying to keep up with it yahoo is better than this and i just want to delete my account and following those steps dont work they just open a lot of windows at the bottom of my screen [which im tired of looking at] no offense to anyone ive just been trying to delete this for months now and i'd like to acutally have it deleted

It is not possible to delete a free account.  Simply stop using it.