Kellie Pickler candidly described the unexpected death of her husband, Kyle Jacobs, as the “darkest time” of her life.
“Thank you to my family, friends and supporters for the countless letters, calls and messages that you have sent my way,” she told People in a statement Thursday.
“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.”
The country singer, 37, added that her late love — who died by suicide earlier this year — taught her “one of the most beautiful lessons,” which is that “in a moment of a crisis, if you don’t know what to do, ‘do nothing; just be still.'”
She explained that she has “chosen to heed his advice.”
The “American Idol” Season 5 alum also announced that she’s “planning an intimate memorial” for Jacobs later in the fall.
“That is what Kyle would have wanted,” she concluded her message, signing off with “Love & Blessings, Kellie.”
Metropolitan Nashville Police Department spokesperson Don Aaron confirmed to The Post on Feb. 17 that Jacobs, a country songwriter, was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot at the couple’s Tennessee home. He was 49.
According to Aaron, Pickler — who married Jacobs in January 2011 — woke up that morning and couldn’t find him, so she and her personal assistant searched the home, soon discovering that the door to an upstairs bedroom/office space was locked.
After numerous attempts to enter the room, the pair called the cops, who arrived at the home shortly after 1 p.m. local time.
The Davidson Country Medical Examiner confirmed the cause of Jacobs’ death in May, revealing that he died from an “intraoral [situated, occurring or performed within the mouth] shotgun wound.”
Per the autopsy report, the late musician did not have any drugs in his system at the time of his passing.
However, it was noted that he had a history of “pseudoseizures, gastrointestinal bleeding, elevated enzymes and chronic alcohol use.”
It’s unclear what kind of mental health issues Jacobs may have been experiencing prior to his sudden death, but publicly, he presented a positive and uplifting image.
In fact, the week he passed, he took to Instagram to commemorate a career milestone.
“Platinum?! SWEEEET!!! An amazing crew of incredibly talented peeps put this one together,” Jacobs captioned the cover of Lee Brice’s fifth album, “Hey World,” which he produced.
“Deeply honored to be a creative part of it…Thank you Jesus!!!”
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988, text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741741 or go to 988lifeline.org.
