Mindy McCready, who became a nationwide country smash with her debut album, 1996’s Ten Thousand Angels, before falling on hard times, both in terms of lack of popularity and drug and substance abuse issues, was found dead on Sunday morning in Heber Springs, Arkansas with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. She was 37 years old.
McCready’s body was found on the porch of a house in Heber Springs, Arkansas, on Sunday afternoon. She was pronounced dead at the scene “from what appears to be a single self-inflicted gunshot wound,” the Cleburne County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.
McCready, whose albums include Ten Thousand Angels and If I Don’t Stay the Night, had a complicated personal life, marked by a history of substance abuse, suicide attempts, family disputes and tragedy. (Via)
McCready went from formerly famous to infamous in 2009, when she appeared on VH1’s Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew (she’s the fifth former Celebrity Rehabber in the past two years to die, joining Alice in Chains’ Mike Starr and Real World alumni Joey Kovar from her season), followed by Celebrity Close Calls and Celebrity Ghost Stories in 2011. She was also known for her long-term relationship with Roger Clemens, despite him being married at the time. Ultimately, though, McCready’s greatest, least tragic legacy is her music, in particular her powerhouse debut.
