Kyle Jacobs Dies: Husband of ‘American Idol’ Alum Kellie Pickler Was 49

Kyle Jacobs, husband of former American Idol and Dancing With the Stars contestant Kellie Pickler, was found dead at the couple’s home in Nashville, Tennessee, on Friday, February 17. The songwriter was 49 years old.

The Metropolitan Nashville Police Department reported (via Variety) that a 911 call from the home came in at 1:21 p.m. local time on Friday and that the fire department personnel who reported to the scene found Jacobs’ body in a room upstairs.

“Mr. Jacobs’ wife, Kellie Pickler, reported that she awoke a short time earlier, did not see her husband, and began looking for him,” the MNPD statement said. “After she and her personal assistant were unable to open the door to the upstairs bedroom/office, the assistant telephoned 911.”

The statement added that Jacobs’ death is “being investigated as an apparent suicide.”

Along with his collaborations with Pickler, Jacobs co-wrote Garth Brooks’ No. 1 song “More Than a Memory” and Tim McGraw’s “Still.” He won a 2014 Academy of Country Music Award for producing the Lee Brice track “I Drive Your Truck.” And Jacobs co-wrote “Back Home” and “Already Gone,” two songs from the TV drama Nashville.

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Two days before his death, Jacobs celebrated the Platinum-selling success of Brice’s alum Hey World in an Instagram post. “Platinum?! SWEEEET!” he wrote. “An amazing crew of incredibly talented peeps put this one together… Deeply honored to be a creative part of it… Thank you, Jesus!”

Jacobs and Pickler — a singer who came in sixth place in Idol Season 5 and then won DWTS Season 16 — married in 2011 and starred together in the 2015 CMT reality show I Love Kellie Pickler.

“It’s kind of the crazy things that Kellie gets herself into, and I kind of have to get her out of it,” Jacobs told Us Weekly in an interview about the reality show. “It honestly is nothing but love and laughter. … We love our marriage, and our marriage is always No. 1. But one of our favorite things that we can do is laugh.”

If you are affected by any of the issues discussed in this article, are worried about a friend or loved one, or would like emotional support, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline’s toll-free number: 1-800-273-TALK (8255).