Hallmark Alum’s Husband Dies at 49

Country music producer and songwriter Kyle Jacobs, the husband of country singer and  Hallmark Channel actress Kellie Pickler, has died by apparent suicide, according to CNN. The outlet said Nashville’s Department of Emergency Communications responded to a 911 call from Pickler and Jacobs’ home at 1:21 pm local time on February 17, 2023.

In a statement provided to Nashville’s WKRN, metro police said Pickler told them she woke up a short time earlier and when she did not see her husband, she began looking for him with her personal assistant. The outlet reported that after the pair was unable to open the door to the upstairs bedroom/office, Pickler’s assistant called 911.

Once inside the home, the statement continued, investigators found Jacobs in an upstairs bedroom/office, dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. Police said they are investigating Jacobs’ death as an apparent suicide at age 49.

Kellie Pickler’s Husband, Kyle Jacobs, Was a Successful Nashville Songwriter and Producer

GettyKyle Jacobs and Kellie Pickler at the 2017 CMT Music Awards

Two years after Pickler placed fifth on “American Idol,” the country artist and actress met Jacobs — who grew up in a suburb of Minneapolis, Minnesota — at the Tin Roof bar in downtown Nashville, according to the Minnesota Star Tribune. The next day, the paper reported, they set up a songwriting session and started dating. Two and a half years later, the couple eloped — on January 1, 2011 — on a private island in the Caribbean.

By the time Pickler and Jacobs met, he was already enjoying success as a country music songwriter, according to CMT. In 2007, he co-wrote Garth Brooks’ “More Than A Memory,” which became the first song to ever debut at Number One on Billboard’s Country Singles chart, according to Country Now. He also wrote and produced for Trace Adkins, Jo Dee Messina, Craig Morgan, Tim McGraw, Clay Walker, Kelly Clarkson, and Scotty McCreery.

According to Deadline, he also produced four Number One country singles with Lee Brice. In fact, the day before his death, Jacobs posted on Instagram to celebrate their latest collaboration, “Hey World,” being certified platinum.

On the post, 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!!!”

Following news of Jacobs’ death, the Academy of Country Music released a statement that said, “The Academy is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Kyle Jacobs, a talented Nashville songwriter & producer and the husband of Kellie Pickler. In 2014 Jacobs won an ACM Award as producer of Lee Brice’s ‘I Drive Your Truck.’ Join us in sending condolences, love & healing.”

Kyle Jacobs Called Kellie Pickler a ‘Conqueror’ for Overcoming Hardships in Her Life

Pickler and Jacobs starred together in a CMT reality show, “I Love Kellie Pickler,” from 2015 to 2017, showcasing their life at home and on the road, like going on USO Tours together. In media interviews, they often talked about their fairytale romance and how much they loved one another.

During an August 2017 joint interview on the BUILD Series, they were asked to share what they loved most about each other.

“Oh my gosh, so many things,” Pickler said, looking at Jacobs. “Your heart, your grace, and how kind you are to people. Everyone.”

“I could go for hours and hours,” Jacobs said when it was his turn to answer. “I think one thing that amazes me about you is you grew up in a tiny little town in North Carolina and it doesn’t matter where you are in this world, you can walk into any room and light up an entire room. You do! You light up the entire room. Yeah. Even in the house. Everywhere you go.”

“And also, you are one of the strongest women I’ve ever met in my life,” he continued. “You are truly a conqueror.”

Pickler’s faced a great deal of trauma in her life, including a painful childhood; her grandparents raised her in their tiny North Carolina town after her mother abandoned her and her father spent time in and out of jail, struggling with alcoholism and drug addiction, according to The Boot. She and Jacobs wrote a song, “Mother’s Day,” about the pain of her upbringing.

During an interview with Larry King in November 2020, Pickler, who has appeared in several Hallmark Channel movies including “Christmas at Graceland” and “Wedding at Graceland” co-starring Wes Brown, said her own early life was far from a Hallmark movie.

“I didn’t necessarily grow up having a Hallmark childhood, I guess you could say,” she said, which is part of why she said she loved being part of the Hallmark family of actors.

She explained, “It’s important that we have a safe place we can all go to — it’s safe for the whole family. It’s really a sanctuary where you don’t have to worry about anything bad happening. It always has a happy ending. Unfortunately, life isn’t always that way, but it’s nice to have a little escape every now and then.”

Since February 2022, Pickler has hosted the afternoon show on SiriusXM’s country music channel, The Highway.

If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988, texting “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741741 or visiting 988lifeline.org.