Kellie Pickler is turning 40 today, and the milestone arrives after one of the most difficult years of her life.
The country star's love story with songwriter Kyle Jacobs was a whirlwind romance that ended when he died by suicide on Feb. 17, 2023.
The pair had been together just two years when they ditched wedding plans. "Every time we got to the guest list, it was like, 'Oh my God, I hate half these people,'" Pickler said on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, explaining how they realized a massive ceremony wasn't for them. Instead, they eloped on a beach in Antigua on New Year's Day 2011. Pickler had "1-1-11" engraved on one side of his wedding band and "Put it back on!" on the other.
After Jacobs' death, Pickler returned to one of his lessons. "One of the most beautiful lessons my husband taught me was in a moment of crisis, if you don't know what to do, 'do nothing, just be still,'" she told People in August 2023. She stayed off stage until April 2024 to grieve.
The couple also hosted the Island Time Music Festival in 2021 to benefit the Little Yellow School House in Mexico. "It's one of the more beautiful things that we've ever done," Jacobs said on the Talk to Chuck podcast.
After his death, autopsy results revealed no drugs in his system, though he had a history of chronic alcohol use. Pickler herself had battled depression in 2008.
At 40, Pickler is performing again and reflecting on the past year.
