Country Singer Mindy McCready Died at 37: A Look into Her Tumultuous Life and Legacy

The Gist:

• Former country star Mindy McCready lived a tragic life prior to her death in 2013.
• Mindy died by what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound when she was just 37 years old, a month after her partner and the father of her younger son had also died by suicide.
• Mindy struggled with her mental health and addiction throughout her life, and attempted suicide several times in the mid-2000s.

Through the late 1990s, Mindy McCready was a major rising star in the world of country music. As her star began to fade in the world of music, Mindy turned to reality TV and other pursuits and ultimately died at just 37 years old. Because she died so young, many who remember her music want to learn more about exactly what happened to her.

Unfortunately, Mindy's story is a sad and tragic one. She struggled with her mental health throughout the last decade of her life and up until her death on Feb. 17, 2013.

Reports began to circulate as early as 2005 that Mindy had attempted suicide. In fact, she reportedly attempted to end her own life twice that year, once while pregnant.

These reports came in the midst of a reportedly abusive relationship that Mindy was in with aspiring singer William Patrick McKnight, who was arrested and charged with attempted murder after beating and choking Mindy.

The couple got back together following the arrest, and she was pregnant with his child at the time of her second attempt. She eventually gave birth in 2006 to a son, Zander. In 2008, Mindy was taken to the hospital a third time for attempting suicide, this time with wounds on her wrists. She had a second child in 2012, this one with record producer David Wilson.

In January 2013, David was found dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, and tabloids began reporting that Mindy was under investigation in relation to his death. While an investigation was opened, there was never any indication that Mindy was a suspect.

Mindy released a statement following David's death that described him as her soulmate.

Following these tumultuous years, which also included several arrests and a struggle with addiction, Mindy died by an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound in February 2013. Mindy's body was found on her front porch, in the same spot where David had died a month earlier. Mindy had also killed David's pet dog prior to her death.

Following early success when she was still just a teenager, Mindy struggled throughout her life with her mental health and addiction, and her death remains a tragedy. Following her death, her final song, "I'll See You Yesterday," was released.

More than a decade later, many country fans still listen to Mindy's music and mourn her death. She's one of many country stars who died long before their time.

Mindy is buried at Alva Cemetery in Fort Myers, Fla. A native of Fort Myers, she was born in the city on Nov. 30, 1975. Had she still been alive today, she would be 48 years old.