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Mindy McCready<\/a>\u00a0seemingly had the country music world by the tail just a few years after moving to Nashville to pursue her dreams of being a country singer, but lasting happiness somehow eluded her.<\/p>\n The troubled singer died by suicide on Feb. 17, 2013, after a years-long professional and personal spiral that repeatedly made headlines.<\/p>\n McCready was just 18 years old when she moved to Nashville looking for a break, and she released her debut album, Ten Thousand Angels<\/em>, just two years later, in 1996.<\/p>\n The album rocketed her to overnight success, going Double Platinum and scoring a No. 1 hit with “Guys Do It All the Time.”<\/p>\n With success came more pressures in an already-turbulent life that included difficult family relationships for McCready. She struggled very publicly in the years after her initial rush of fame, engaging in a public fight with her record label, as well as a high-profile relationship with actor Dean Cain that drew tabloid scrutiny.<\/p>\n Her next album,\u00a0If I Don’t Stay the Night <\/em>(1997),<\/em> sold significantly less, and by the time McCready released\u00a0I’m Not So Tough<\/em>\u00a0in 1999, her career was in free-fall, and BNA Records dropped her from the label’s roster.<\/p>\n She recorded a self-titled album for Capitol Nashville in 2002 that was also unsuccessful, and in the years that followed, McCready became better-known for her personal troubles than her music as her relationship with singer Billy McKnight made headlines.<\/p>\n He was arrested in 2005 and charged with attempted murder after allegedly trying to strangle her, and shortly after, she was hospitalized after attempting suicide.<\/p>\n The couple later reconciled and welcomed a son, Zander, before ultimately breaking up for good.<\/p>\n McCready continued to be a tabloid fixture in subsequent years, with multiple arrests for violence and drugs, jail time and parole violations, additional suicide attempts, a sex tape and a 2009 stint on\u00a0Celebrity Rehab.<\/em><\/p>\n McCready released her final album,\u00a0I’m Still Here<\/em>, in 2010 via a tiny independent label.<\/p>\n READ MORE:<\/em> 20 Country Stars Who Have Battled Addiction<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n A relationship with producer David Wilson produced a second son, Zayne, in 2012, and after winning custody of Zander as well, the couple moved to Arkansas, where McCready was reportedly working on new music.<\/p>\n Wilson\u00a0died<\/a>\u00a0at the couple’s home in early January of 2013, and his death was later determined to be a suicide. McCready made a tearful appearance on the Today Show<\/em><\/a> to deny any involvement with his death after tabloid rumors that she was under investigation in relation to the shooting.<\/p>\n McCready\u00a0died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound on Feb. 17, 2013, at the same home where Wilson had died a month before, bringing a tragic end to one of the most turbulent stories in Nashville history.<\/p>\n McCready’s ex, Billy McKnight, gained custody of their son, Zander, who was then 6. Her 10-month-old son with Wilson, Zayne, reportedly went to live with relatives after the deaths of both of his parents.<\/p>\n Mindy McCready’s life was the subject of a musical titled McCready the Musical<\/em> in Los Angeles in 2015.<\/p>\n These country singers had so much more to give. See 40 country singers who died much too soon: Keith Whitley, Mindy McCready, Troy Gentry and more.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Gallery Credit: Billy Dukes<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nWhen Did Mindy McCready Release Her Debut Album?<\/h3>\n
What Were Mindy McCready’s Public Struggles?<\/h3>\n
How Did Mindy McCready Die?<\/h3>\n
What Happened to Mindy McCready’s Kids After She Died?<\/h3>\n
R.I.P.: 40 Country Singers and Songwriters Who Died Too Soon<\/h2>\n