The country music community mourns the loss of Mindy McCready.
The country music family is shocked and saddened this morning to learn of the apparent suicide of 37 year old Mindy McCready, whose hits included “Ten Thousand Angels” and “Guys Do It All The Time”. Miss McCready was found on the porch of her Heber Springs, AR home dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Her death follows that of her boyfriend and producer David Wilson only one month ago, and she leaves behind two young sons.
On a personal note, when Miss McCready first burst onto the country music scene in 1996 with her chart-topping hit “Guys Do It All the Time” she joined the ranks of singers like Faith Hill and Shania Twain in bringing fans a feisty rock-infused brand of empowered female anthems. Her fierce determination and candid demeanor made her one of the most relateable country stars on the scene, which connected with me very deeply.
While many news outlets are busy picking apart the evidence of her emotional and mental scars, I hope that those with the loudest voices remember she was a talented woman who, like so many others, had real life issues that no amount of celebrity can fix. I wish the best for her sons and her grieving family. For me, her contribution to the soundtrack of my life will far outshine the stress that tabloid press added to hers.