Kellie Pickler‘s rise to fame started on season five of “American Idol” where she placed sixth. She went on to have a pretty successful country music career, competed on “Dancing with the Stars,” and hosted the talk show “Pickler and Ben” alongside Ben Aaron.
In addition, from 2015 through 2017, Pickler stared in the reality show “I Love Kellie Pickler” which followed her life in Nashville with her husband, Kyle Jacobs.
On the show, Pickler and Jacobs seemed fun, funny and upbeat. They also seemed to really love each other and care about each other. Pickler told the camera, “Kyle is by far my greatest treasure. I’d be absolutely lost without him.”
Unfortunately, Pickler is going to have to figure out how to navigate life without Jacobs. TMZ broke the news that Jacobs committed suicide at the couple’s home in Nashville.
On Friday February 17, 2023, Pickler woke up at home and went to look for her husband. When she couldn’t find him, she enlisted the help of an assistant to look for him.
Eventually, Pickler and the assistant came across the locked door upstairs in the home. When they were unable to open the door, they called 911. The police arrived and opened the door, discovering Jacobs dead inside. He had shot himself. He was 49 years old.
TMZ adds that there didn’t seem to be any warning signs that Jacobs was suicidal. Just one day before he committed suicide, in his final Instagram post, he seemed excited and grateful, sharing good news about a project he had worked on. In the post, he celebrated the good news that Lee Brice’s fifth album, “Hey World” had gone platinum.
Jacobs wrote, “Platinum?! SWEEEET!!! An amazing crew of incredibly talented peeps put this one together…Deeply honored to be a creative part of it…Thank you Jesus!!!”
Jacobs played guitar on the album and also produced it.
Upon hearing the news of Jacobs’ death, Aaron, Picker’s former co-star, shared his memories of Jacobs. In a tribute posted on Instagram, Aaron wrote, “I never had a lot of guy friends because I was never a typical guy. It was always difficult for me to meet a pal. Then came Kyle, a package deal with my former work wife Kellie.” He continued, “This first meeting led to our nightly ritual, dinner after the show, the three of us or often just Kyle and me sitting for hours talking about whatever and whomever. Kellie would often joke that she was the third wheel. He became a safe place for me, I was in a strange town surrounded by stranger. If we were at an event, he would throw his arm around me and guide me around the room, welcoming me into his world.”
Aaron concluded his tribute by writing, “I will miss your warmth and scratchy cackle of a laugh, I’ll miss our random texts when we see some inappropriate sign or inside joke. But most of all, I’ll miss you my friend.”
Rest in peace.