by Editor’s Note: If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts or mental health issues, please call or text 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline to connect with a trained counselor or visit Lifeline the website.
CNN
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Kyle Jacobs, a country music producer and songwriter who starred alongside his wife, singer Kellie Pickler, in a CMT docu-series has died, according to Nashville police. He was 49.
Jacobs died of an apparent suicide at their home in Nashville on Friday, according to authorities.
CNN has reached out to representatives for Pickler for comment.
According to Nashville’s Department of Emergency Communications, a 911 call was received at 1:21 p.m. local time Friday. Officers and Nashville Fire Department personnel responded to the home of Pickler and Jacobs, located on Sneed Road.
Pickler told police she woke up a short time earlier, didn’t see her husband and started looking for him, a police affidavit said. After she and a personal assistant were unable to open the door to the upstairs bedroom/office, the assistant called authorities, the statement added.
Jacobs, a music producer, has worked with artists including Garth Brooks, Kelly Clarkson, Darius Rucker and Tim McGraw. He won an Academy of Country Music Award in 2014 for his work as a producer on Lee Brice’s “I Drive Your Truck.”
Jacobs often shared updates about his musical collaborations on Instagram.
“One of my favorite things to do as a songwriter is to write songs with beautiful hearts in beautiful places,” he shared in a 2021 post.
Pickler is best known for her participation on Season 5 of “American Idol,” which helped launch her career as a musician and television personality.
Jacobs starred alongside Pickler in the docu-comedy series “I Love Kellie Pickler,” which debuted in 2015 and proved a ratings hit for CMT. It ran for three seasons.
In a statement posted on the official CMT Twitter account, the network said, “Our thoughts and prayers are with Kellie Pickler and the rest of the Jacobs family.”
In a 2015 interview about their reality show, Jacobs said that he was more used to being behind the scenes rather than on camera, but that he felt comfortable collaborating with his wife on the project.
“I’m just going to be me and be with my wife and just be us,” Jacobs said.
He added, “We’ve just built such a foundation of trust and love … Whatever work is, if it ever gets in the way of our marriage, it gets in the way. Our marriage comes first.”
