Kellie Pickler Has Settlement With Late Husband Kyle Jacobs’ Parents

Jacobs, a songwriter who worked with Garth Brooks and Tim McGraw, was found dead in the Nashville home he shared with Pickler in February 2023, with the Davidson Country Medical Examiner later ruling it a suicide. 

Toxicology tests determined Jacobs did not have any drugs in his system at the time, though it noted he had a history of “pseudoseizures, gastrointestinal bleeding, elevated liver enzymes, and chronic alcohol use,” per an autopsy report obtained by Taste of Country.

Pickler remained out of the spotlight in the wake of his passing, breaking her silence on her grief six months later.

“One of the most beautiful lessons my husband taught me was in a moment of a crisis, if you don’t know what to do, ‘do nothing, just be still,'” the country star told People in August 2023. “I have chosen to heed his advice.”

“Thank you to my family, friends, and supporters, for the countless letters, calls, and messages that you have sent my way,” she continued. “It has truly touched my soul and it’s helping me get through the darkest time in my life. As many of you have told me, you are all in my prayers.”

The couple—who began dating in 2008 and married in 2011—weren’t just partners in life, but also in music. They collaborated on several songs together, including 2008’s “One Last Time,” 2013’s “The Woman I Am” and 2015’s “Feeling Tonight.”

“Yes, it’s true, I’m sleeping with my producer!” she joked to People in 2015. “He is so good at what he does. I’m so excited to be in the studio again recording a new album, and working with Kyle has been amazing. He has watched me perform for years, so it was great to have a front row seat as an artist and see him in his element.”

The “Best Days of Your Life” artist also credited Jacobs as her “saving grace.”

“My grandmother really showed me how to be a wife, a good wife,” she told CMT Radio in 2011, per The Boot. “I never thought I’d be one though, because I never thought there would be a man out there who could love me. There’s more flaws than smooth edges. They’re mostly jagged, tattered. I’m really tattered at the seams. I’m very blessed.”

Keep reading for a look back at their life together.