According to FOX 8 and other sources, it’s been confirmed that country music singer Mindy McCready has committed suicide. Reportedly her body was found in Heber Springs, AR.
UPDATE: A Cleburne County Sheriff confirms the death in a statement. McCready died of a single self-inflicted gunshot wound.
At 3:31 PM, Sunday, February 17th Deputies from the Cleburne County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched to a report of gun shots fired in the area of 1132 Fox Chase Drive in Heber Springs. Officers arrived on the scene at 3:58 PM and discovered the body of 37 year old Melinda Gayle McCready on the front porch of the residence at 1132 Fox Chase. Ms. McCready was pronounced dead at the scene from what appears to be a single self-inflicted gunshot wound. At this time family members have been notified of the incident. Ms. Mcready will be transported to the Arkansas State Crime Lab for an autopsy and the matter will be fully investigated.
The singer was on a downward spiral since her boyfriend, David Wilson, was shot to death in an apparent suicide a little over a month ago. Her two children, Zander. 6 and Zayne, 9 months, were taken away from her home by authorities. Shortly after, the singer agreed to enter an in-patient rehab for treatment.
“I have never gone through anything this painful,” McCready said in her last interview with NBC’s Andrea Canning, “He didn’t just touch my heart, he touched my soul. He was my soulmate.”
Whoever was responsible for releasing this poor woman from the hospital to undergo outpatient treatment instead must feel pretty terrible right now. This is a really tragic story all the way around. So sad for those young kids. They baby lost both parents in a matter of a few weeks.
Carrie Underwood tweets, “I grew up listening to Mindy McCready…so sad for her family tonight. Many prayers are going out to them…”
McCready had several country hits in the late 90’s, including her only #1 hit, “Guys Do It All The Time.” After two successful album, including her 1996 debut Ten Thousand Angels and the follow-up, If I Don’t Stay the Night in 1997, her 3rd album, I’m Not So Tough in 1999 was a commercial failure. After that, her label, BNA Records dropped her.
Since then, McCready has had legal troubles, including a 2004 arrest in Tennessee for using a fake prescription to obtain the painkiller, Oxycontin. She was also arrested by Nashville police for DUI in 2005. In July 2007, McCready was arrested in Ft. Myers FL, charged with batter and resisting arrest for an apparent physical altercation with her mother. Later that year she was sentenced to a year in jail for violating her probation. She served 3 months of her sentence.
She was arrested a year later for violating her probation and sentenced to 60 days in jail. She served half the time.
In May 2008 the singer released the single “I’m Still Here” and an album of the same name in 2010.
