Tragic Life and Death of Mindy McCready, a Woman Who Was Once a Teenage Country Music Phenom

McCready, well known for her hit country music album "Ten Thousand Angels," lived a very tragic life and she died at an early age of thirty-seven.

The news about the country star's death did not come as a surprise to most people that have followed her tumultuous history over the years.

Mindy McCready was born on November 30, 1975, in Fort Myers, Florida. She first sang at the age of 3 in her local Pentecostal church. At the age of 9, she began training for the opera.

Not sure about what the future held, she later decided that she preferred the kind of country singing she'd learned from karaoke tapes of Trisha Yearwood and Reba McEntire.

In 1996, Her first album, "Ten Thousand Angels," was released, gaining public approval and spawned four hit singles, including the chart-topping "Guys, Do It All the Time." The album was certified double platinum, and soon McCready was headlining concerts alongside country music legends like George Strait and Tim McGraw.

Growing up, she faced a lot of challenges. In August 2004, she was arrested for using fake prescriptions to get narcotic painkillers, oxycontin. McCready initially pleaded not guilty to the charges, she later pleaded guilty and was sentenced to a fine and three years probation.

Series of unlawful events took place afterwards. In May 2005, she was arrested again, spotted driving under the influence of alcohol with no registered driver's license. In the same month, Mindy McCready's boyfriend Billy McKnight was arrested and accused of attempted murder after severely beating and choking her.

McCready stated that he (McKnight) had beat her several times in the past. The state of Tennessee issued restraining orders against both McKnight and McCready — McKnight was denied entry into the state and McCready was denied exit from the state. But McCready was quick to violate her restraining order by visiting McKnight in Florida.

She was also charged with identity theft in Arizona, July 2005, as well as attempted suicide by overdose on antidepressants in September 2005.

After surviving two self-inflicted life claiming events, McCready professed her love for McKnight by stating in a public appearance how he saved her life.

McCready and McKnight eventually got back together, and McCready became pregnant with a baby boy. While she was pregnant with McKnight's child in September 2005, she attempted suicide again by overdosing on antidepressants.

She appeared to be going through a lot of challenges in her career at this time. She was, however, taken to the hospital in time, saving both mother and child. In March 2006, McCready gave birth to a son, Zander Ryan McCready.

Being a mother of two, McCready not only experienced difficulty in her career, but she also had lots of relationship issues, leading to the birth of her two sons.

Although she had been saved a couple of times from the clutches of death, saving her was practically impossible when she was found dead on the porch of her home in the rural town of Heber Springs, Arkansas, the result of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. She died at the age of 37.