Tragic Details About Kellie Pickler

The following article contains references to addiction and suicide.

For many listeners, country music is about storytelling. From life's lessons to life's greatest joys, you can find it in a country song. Sure, we've all heard a song about beer cans, pickup trucks, and good ole Southern sweet tea. Maybe some of us have even gotten the urge to pick up a banjo and two-step our way around a country-and-western bar when the right track starts blaring from a jukebox. But life's simple pleasures just scratch the surface when it comes to what the music genre is known for. 

Country singers dive deep into some of life's most serious topics. Loss, alcoholism, heartbreak, and broken homes are obstacles that have set the tone for legendary country music tracks. Grammy award-winning artist Tim McGraw's track "Red Rag Top" was even pulled from airplay by some radio stations upon its release in 2002 due to it being a song about a young couple who decided to have an abortion.

Much of the inspiration for famous country music songs comes from the artists who have lived through tragedies themselves. Former "American Idol" star Kellie Pickler may have stolen hearts with her small-town Southern charm and bright-eyed smile, but the singer's road to stardom was anything but easy. Pickler has experienced her fair share of difficulties in her life, and she sought therapy through music. While she's come a long way from her North Carolina roots, the "Red High Heels" singer hasn't forgotten the ups and downs — including the tragic events — that shaped her into the talented artist she is today.

Kellie Pickler's life may seem like a dream to her many fans — but her personal reality hasn't always been glamorous. The "Best Days of Your Life" singer opened up to People in 2008, admitting that she went through a year-long depression after dealing with family issues and heartbreak. "I was an emotional wreck," Pickler said. "Everything in my professional life seemed great, but in my personal life, I was just crumbling." At the time, she had broken up with hockey player Jordin Tootoo and she was dealing with her father's stints in prison. Plus, her mother (largely absent from her life since she was a toddler) had unexpectedly returned to her life. 

Pickler admitted she attempted to take anti-depressants but had trouble with the side effects. The country singer found solace in writing her second record, the self-titled album "Kellie Pickler," which she released in 2008. She leaned on fellow singers Carrie Underwood and Taylor Swift to get her through the difficult time. She also found love with country music songwriter Kyle Jacobs at the time, whom she admitted "makes me feel so good about being me." The two went on to tie the knot in an intimate beachside ceremony in Antigua in 2011. 

Kelly Pickler took her hardships to pen and paper, turning her sorrows into song. The country music singer got candid about her tumultuous relationship with her father in her emotional track "The Letter (to Daddy)" which she released in 2012. In the track, she sings, "The bottle took you from me/When I was a child/Robbed me of the love I needed/Robbed me of a smile." The song is a part of her album "100 Proof" which tells the story of her difficult upbringing. 

"This letter is something I've always wanted to be able to say. He's struggled his whole life with alcoholism and drug addiction, and that's something you never stop struggling with. When you're an alcoholic, you're always an alcoholic — even if you're sober," she told The Boot in 2012. "My dad is sober today, but is he going to be tomorrow? I don't know."

Despite Pickler's up-and-down relationship with her father, the singer admitted she was proud to see him sober up and go back to school. "People have a perception and opinion of him and his past, but my dad inspired me in so many ways. I've always been a daddy's girl. He was never not a part of my life," she told Rolling Stone in 2014. "He loved me and took care of me the best as he could." Pickler admitted that the heartfelt track dedicated to her father was her favorite on the record. 

Kellie Pickler considered her grandma to be the mother she never had. After her mother abandoned her at a young age and her father was in and out of prison, the country singer moved in with her grandparents, Clyde and Faye Pickler, who raised her. But Pickler's time with her grandmother was cut short in 2002 when Faye died of lung cancer. The singer told ABC News: "My grandmother, Faye Pickler, she's the one that raised me and the woman I called mom, She was diagnosed with lung cancer back in January 2002 and she died the very next day, she died the very next morning."

Pickler went on to add that her grandmother had been a smoker and was born into a generation unaware of its long-term effects. Faye was just 66 years old at the time of her death. "One of the hardest things I've had to experience was losing my grandmother to lung cancer," the "Red High Heels" singer said in a press release (via Daily Mail). The artist honored Faye by tattooing her name on her foot and dedicating the song "My Angel" to her beloved mother figure. In the track, Pickler sings: "You were everything I wanna be/And all the good inside of me/There's never been/Never been another/Who loved me like you did/My grandmother, my angel."

Kellie Pickler experienced a terrible tragedy in February 2023 when her husband, Kyle Jacobs, died. According to the police report obtained by People, the singer told authorities she woke up and couldn't find Jacobs. She called the police after she and her assistant discovered a room in her home was locked. The autopsy reports later revealed that Jacobs, who was 49 at the time, died by suicide. Though he didn't have drugs in his system at the time of death, toxicology reports stated that he had a "history of pseudoseizures, gastrointestinal bleeding, elevated liver enzymes, and chronic alcohol use."

Pickler remained quiet for months after the shocking news, until finally making a statement to People. "One of the most beautiful lessons my husband taught me was in a moment of a crisis, if you don't know what to do, 'do nothing, just be still,'" she wrote. "I have chosen to heed his advice." The "Feeling Tonight" singer went on to thank fans for their outpouring of support during the incredibly difficult time. "It has truly touched my soul and it's helping me get through the darkest time in my life. As many of you have told me, you are all in my prayers," she said. Pickler revealed she was planning an intimate memorial service for her late husband set for fall 2023. While grappling with the unexpected loss, the singer is reportedly unable to bear staying in her Nashville home.