'American Idol' Alum Kellie Pickler Gives Emotional First Performance Since Husband's Death

*The following article contains discussion of suicide/self-harm.

Singer Kellie Pickler returned to the stage for her first live performance since the death of her husband, Kyle Jacobs, and sang a song they wrote together.

Jacobs was a songwriter, musician, and vocalist whose collaborations included Garth Brooks, Clay Walker, Trace Adkins, Kimberley Locke, and Tim McGraw.

On February 17, 2023, Jacobs was found dead in his and Pickler's home in Nashville, Tennessee from an apparent suicide according to the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department. He was 49.

In a TikTok video shared by Music Mayhem Magazine, Pickler told the crowd gathered at the Ryman Auditorium for an event honoring legendary country music star Patsy Cline that she was "incredibly nervous" being up on stage.

"It's the first time I've been up on stage in a while," said the 37-year-old.

Pickler, who gained fame as a top contender in the fifth season of American Idol in 2006, said that the last time she was at the venue was with Jacobs on a date night.

She added:

"I know he is with us tonight."

The audience cheered her on as she expressed gratitude for sharing the special moment with her.

She then performed "The Woman I Am," which she co-wrote with Jacobs.

You can watch her performance here.

Fans were moved by the tribute and happy to see her back on stage.

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After placing sixth as an American Idol contestant, Pickler signed to 19 Recordings and BNA Records as a recording artist.

Her debut album Small Town Girl became certified gold and yielded three singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts, which included "Red High Heels", "I Wonder", and "Things That Never Cross a Man's Mind".

Pickler's self-titled sophomore album produced the four hit singles "Don't You Know You're Beautiful", "Best Days of Your Life", which she co-wrote with Taylor Swift, "Didn't You Know How Much I Loved You", and "Makin' Me Fall in Love Again".

American Idol judge and record executive Simon Cowell recognized her potential and saw her as one of the final three.

He said he favored her voice over the previous season's winner, Carrie Underwood.

Pickler and Jacobs were engaged in June 2010 after two and a half years of dating.

They eloped on January 1, 2011 in a "small, intimate ceremony on a private island in the Caribbean".

The pair starred in a CMT reality show called I Love Kellie Pickler which premiered on November 5, 2015.

An IMDb description for the show read:

"The docuseries follows the musical couple, who have written songs together and worked in the studio together, as they put their personal and professional lives on display for the cameras."

"Work, music, friends, and family are at the center of the couple's lives... and their show."

In November 2013, Pickler told USA TODAY :

"Nobody knows the woman I am better than my husband."

"There was no way I could try to be anything I'm not, because he could definitely call me on it."

If you or someone you know is struggling, you can contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988.

To find help outside the United States, the International Association for Suicide Prevention has resources available at https://www.iasp.info/resources/Crisis_Centres/