Kyle Jacobs, songwriter, wife of Kellie Pickler, dies aged 49

By Megan Thomas | CNN

Kyle Jacobs, a country music producer and songwriter who co-starred with his wife, singer Kellie Pickler, in a CMT documentary, has died, according to Nashville police. He was 49 years old.

Jacobs died by an apparent suicide at his Nashville home on Friday, officials said.

CNN has reached out to representatives for Pickler for comment.

According to the Nashville Department of Emergency Communications, a 911 call was received at 1:21 pm local time on Friday. Officers and staff of the Nashville Fire Department responded to Pickler and Jacobs’ home, located on Sneed Road.

Pickler told police she woke up shortly before, did not see her husband and started looking for him, a police statement said. After she and a personal assistant failed to open the upstairs bedroom/office door, the assistant called authorities, the statement added.

Jacobs, a music producer, has worked with artists such as 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 as a songwriter is writing songs with beautiful hearts in beautiful places,” he shared in a 2021 post.

Pickler is best known for her appearance on Season 5 of “American Idol,” which helped launch her career as a musician and television personality.

Jacobs starred alongside Pickler in the documentary comedy series “I Love Kellie Pickler”, which debuted in 2015 and proved to be a ratings success for CMT. It ran for three seasons.

On a declaration posted on CMT’s official 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 his reality show, Jacobs said that he was more used to being behind the scenes 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 just built a foundation of trust and love… Whatever the job, if it gets in the way of our marriage, it gets in the way. Our marriage comes first.