Editor’s note: this story contains discussion of suicide.
Three months after the death of Kellie Pickler‘s husband, Kyle Jacobs, reports about his cause of death have emerged. Songwriter/producer Jacobs, 49, was found dead in an apparent suicide in the couple’s Nashville home on Feb. 17, where police said they found him with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound in an upstairs bedroom/office.
On Tuesday (May 9), E News reported that a spokesperson for the Davidson County Medical Examiner confirmed that Jacobs died by suicide, with toxicology results revealing that the songwriter behind Garth Brooks’ Hot Country Songs chart-topper “More Than a Memory” did not have any drugs in his system at the time of his death.
The examiner’s report also noted that Jacobs had a history of “pseudoseizures, gastrointestinal bleeding, elevated liver enzymes, and chronic alcohol use,” according to Taste of Country, which obtained a copy of the autopsy. Officers were called to the Pickler’s Tennessee home in Feb. after the 2006 American Idol alum said she couldn’t find her husband when she woke up.
Jacobs and Pickler wed on Jan. 1, 2011, and previously starred together in the reality show I Love Kellie Pickler for three seasons. Jacobs was also behind songs recorded by Trace Adkins, Clay Walker and others, as well as producing a number of Lee Brice hits, including “I Drive Your Truck,” “Hard to Love” and “Drinking Class.”
If you’re thinking about suicide, or are worried about a friend or loved one, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, available 24 hours, at 988.
This story originally appeared on Billboard
