Kyle Jacobs’ cause of death has been confirmed nearly three months after his death.
An autopsy report obtained by Taste of Country found that the musician had committed suicide. His wife, singer-songwriter Kellie Pickler, and her assistant discovered Jacobs’ body at the couple’s home in Nashville.
The report noted that Jacobs, 49, died of a “self-inflicted shotgun wound” and that there were no drugs in his system at the time of his death. However, the report said he had “a history of pseudoconvulsions, gastrointestinal bleeding, elevated liver enzymes and chronic alcohol consumption.”
A Minnesota native, Jacobs co-wrote Garth Brooks’ record-breaking hit “More Than a Memory,” which in 2007 was the first song to debut at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart. The Grammy nominee also co-wrote “8th World Wonder,” which became a hit for “American Idol” finalist Kimberley Locke in 2004.
Some of Jacobs’ other collaborators included Kelly Clarkson and Tim McGraw. His final Instagram post, shared just two days before his death, acknowledged the success of country artist Lee Brice’s most recent album, “Hey World,” featuring several songs Jacobs had co-written.
Pickler rose to fame in 2006 as a contestant on Season 5 of American Idol, where he finished in fifth place. Since then, she has released four studio albums and in 2013, she and fellow dancer Derek Hough won the 16th season of “Dancing with the Stars.”
She and Jacobs started dating in 2008 and tied the knot in an intimate ceremony in the Caribbean about three years later. In 2015, the couple appeared together on “I Love Kellie Pickler,” a CMT reality series.
