Malinda Gayle McCready (November 30, 1975 – February 17, 2013) was an American
country music
Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...
singer. Active from 1995 until her death in 2013, she recorded a total of five studio albums. Her debut album, 1996's ''
Ten Thousand Angels
''Ten Thousand Angels'' is the debut studio album of American country music singer Mindy McCready. It was released on BNA Records in 1996 and sold two million copies being certified double platinum by the RIAA. The album peaked at #5 on the US cou ...
'', was released on
BNA Records
BNA Records, formerly known as BNA Entertainment, was a label group that shared ties with Arista Nashville and RCA Nashville from parent company Sony Music Nashville, which itself is a subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment. Based in Nashville, T ...
and was certified 2× Platinum by the
RIAA
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
, while 1997's ''
If I Don't Stay the Night'' was certified Gold. 1999's ''
I'm Not So Tough
''I'm Not So Tough'' is the third studio album by American country music singer Mindy McCready. It was released on BNA Records in 1999. This album peaked at #17 on the US country charts and sold 144,000 copies. The album included the single "All ...
'', her final album for BNA, was less successful, and she left the label. A
self-titled fourth album followed in 2002 on
Capitol Records
Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of note ...
. McCready's fifth and final studio album, ''
I'm Still Here I'm Still Here may refer to:
* ''I'm Still Here'' (book), a 2018 memoir by Austin Channing Brown
In film and television:
* '' I'm Still Here: The Truth About Schizophrenia'', a 1996 documentary film
* ''I'm Still Here'' (2010 film), a 2010 mockum ...
'', was released in March 2010 on Iconic Records.
McCready's first four studio albums yielded twelve singles on the ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
'' country singles charts. This figure includes the 1 hit "
Guys Do It All the Time", as well as the Top 10 hits "
Ten Thousand Angels
''Ten Thousand Angels'' is the debut studio album of American country music singer Mindy McCready. It was released on BNA Records in 1996 and sold two million copies being certified double platinum by the RIAA. The album peaked at #5 on the US cou ...
" and "
A Girl's Gotta Do (What a Girl's Gotta Do)
"A Girl's Gotta Do (What a Girl's Gotta Do)" is a song written by Robert Byrne and Rick Bowles, and recorded by American country music artist Mindy McCready. It was released in February 1997 as the fourth single from the album ''Ten Thousand Ange ...
".
Although she had not charted a single since 2002, McCready received significant media coverage regarding her troubled personal life and
suicide attempt
A suicide attempt is an attempt to die by suicide that results in survival. It may be referred to as a "failed" or "unsuccessful" suicide attempt, though these terms are discouraged by mental health professionals for implying that a suicide res ...
s and her eventual death by suicide.
Career
Music
Born Malinda Gayle McCready in
Fort Myers, Florida
Fort Myers (or Ft. Myers) is a city in southwestern Florida and the county seat and commercial center of Lee County, Florida, United States. The Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program calculated that the city's population was 92,245 in 20 ...
, McCready began singing in her local
Pentecostal
Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a Protestant Charismatic Christian movement church at age 3 and graduated from high school at the age of 16 to begin her music career early.
When she was 18, McCready moved to
Nashville
Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...
, where she was signed by BNA Records. Her debut album, ''
Ten Thousand Angels
''Ten Thousand Angels'' is the debut studio album of American country music singer Mindy McCready. It was released on BNA Records in 1996 and sold two million copies being certified double platinum by the RIAA. The album peaked at #5 on the US cou ...
,'' was released in 1996 and sold two million copies. The album produced four chart singles on the country charts: the title track at No. 6, followed by her first and only Number One hit, "
Guys Do It All the Time". This song, in turn, was succeeded by "Maybe He'll Notice Her Now", a duet with
Richie McDonald
Richard Vance McDonald (born February 6, 1962) is an American country music singer and songwriter. From 1998 until his departure in 2007, he was the lead singer of the group Lonestar, which recorded seven studio albums on BNA Records during his t ...
, then the lead vocalist of
Lonestar
Lonestar (formerly known as Texassee) is an American country music group from Nashville, Tennessee. The group consists of Drew Womack (lead vocals, acoustic guitar), Michael Britt (lead guitar, background vocals), Dean Sams (keyboards, acousti ...
. The fourth and final single, "A Girl's Gotta Do (What a Girl's Gotta Do)", peaked at No. 4.
In 1997, she was nominated for Top New Female Vocalist at the
Academy of Country Music Awards
The Academy of Country Music Awards, also known as the ACM Awards, were first held in 1966, honoring the industry's accomplishments during the previous year. It was the first country music awards program held by a major organization. The academy ...
, but lost to
LeAnn Rimes
Margaret LeAnn Rimes Cibrian (born August 28, 1982) is an American singer, songwriter and actress. She originally rose to success as a country music artist at age 13 with 1996's "Blue". She has since crossed over into pop, contemporary Chris ...
.
The next year, McCready released the album ''
If I Don't Stay the Night.'' The album spawned three singles, "What If I Do", "The Other Side of This Kiss", and "You'll Never Know". The album sold 825,000 copies.
In 1999, McCready released ''
I'm Not So Tough
''I'm Not So Tough'' is the third studio album by American country music singer Mindy McCready. It was released on BNA Records in 1999. This album peaked at #17 on the US country charts and sold 144,000 copies. The album included the single "All ...
.'' The first single, "All I Want Is Everything", failed to break the top 50. The album was a commercial failure, selling 144,000 copies. Soon after, McCready's record company dropped her. McCready was then signed by
Capitol Records
Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of note ...
. She released her
self-titled album with Capitol in 2002 to disappointing sales and was dropped by Capitol later that year.
In May 2008, McCready released the single "I'm Still Here" via her official website. She also announced that she had been working on a documentary, a new album, and a reality show. McCready's critically acclaimed fifth album, ''I'm Still Here'', was released in March 2010.
On February 18, 2013, the day after McCready's death, her final song, "I'll See You Yesterday" was released.
Reality television
In June 2009, McCready signed on to appear on the reality series ''
Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew
''Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew'', later called simply ''Rehab with Dr. Drew'', is a reality television show that aired on the cable network VH1 in which many of the episodes chronicle a group of well-known people as they are treated for alco ...
''. The series aired and depicted her struggle with substance addiction. She later discussed her recovery and possible studio work with Todd Gaither on a March 2010 episode of ''
The View''.
In mid-2011, McCready appeared on ''
Celebrity Close Calls
''Celebrity Close Calls'' is a television series on BIO and Reelz Channel, a reality show that interviews various celebrities who have experienced life-or-death situations.
Episodes
{, class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
, -
! style="background ...
'' and ''
Celebrity Ghost Stories
''Celebrity Ghost Stories'' is an American paranormal reality television series that debuted on October 3, 2009, with the pilot airing on September 26, 2009. Its first four seasons aired on The Biography Channel with the fifth airing on Lifetime Mo ...
'' series 3 episode 6. She also appeared on the December 9, 2011 episode of ''
20/20
Visual acuity (VA) commonly refers to the clarity of vision, but technically rates an examinee's ability to recognize small details with precision. Visual acuity is dependent on optical and neural factors, i.e. (1) the sharpness of the retinal ...
'', where she discussed her son Zander, her producer boyfriend David Wilson, and new music.
Personal life
In 1997, McCready became engaged to actor
Dean Cain
Dean George Cain ( Tanaka; born July 31, 1966) is an American actor. From 1993 to 1997, he played Clark Kent / Superman in the TV series '' Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman''. Cain was the host of ''Ripley's Believe It or Not!'' and ...
; the couple ended their engagement and separated the following year. McCready also dated former
NHL
The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...
hockey player
Drake Berehowsky
Drake Berehowsky (born January 3, 1972) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey
Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It bel ...
.
In December 2003, she began dating aspiring singer William Patrick "Billy" McKnight. On May 8, 2005, McKnight was arrested and charged with attempted murder after beating and choking her.
After reporting to ''
People
A person (plural, : people) is a being that has certain capacities or attributes such as reason, morality, consciousness or self-consciousness, and being a part of a culturally established form of social relations such as kinship, ownership of pr ...
'' magazine that she had cut ties with McKnight, McCready was found unconscious in a hotel lobby in
Indian Rocks Beach, Florida
Indian Rocks Beach, or IRB, is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. The population was 4,286 at the 2018 census. Indian Rocks Beach is part of the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL Metropolitan Statistical Area. Located on the ba ...
, after attempting
suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and s ...
in July 2005. She was hospitalized for a drug overdose after consuming a large amount of undisclosed drugs with alcohol. The couple eventually got back together and McCready became pregnant. In September 2005, while she was pregnant with McKnight's child, she attempted suicide again by overdosing on
antidepressant
Antidepressants are a class of medication used to treat major depressive disorder, anxiety disorders, chronic pain conditions, and to help manage addictions. Common side-effects of antidepressants include dry mouth, weight gain, dizziness, hea ...
s. In March 2006, McCready gave birth to a son, Zander Ryan McCready.
On December 17, 2008, paramedics were called to McCready's Nashville home after an apparent suicide attempt; they transported her to a hospital after finding wounds on her wrists.
In 2009, she joined the cast of ''
Celebrity Rehab 3'' with Dr. Drew Pinsky.
On May 25, 2010, McCready was hospitalized in
Cape Coral, Florida
Cape Coral is a city located in Lee County, Florida, United States, on the Gulf of Mexico. Founded in 1957 and developed as a planned community, the city's population has grown to 194,016 as of the 2020 Census, a rise of 26% from the 2010 Census ...
, for a possible drug overdose; she may have had a reaction to
Darvocet
Dextropropoxyphene is an analgesic in the opioid category, patented in 1955 and manufactured by Eli Lilly and Company. It is an optical isomer of levopropoxyphene. It is intended to treat mild pain and also has antitussive (cough suppressant) ...
her mother had given her.
She was released later that day and returned home.
A pornographic videotape of McCready and an ex-boyfriend referred to as "Peter" went on sale by
Vivid Entertainment
Vivid Entertainment Group is an American pornographic film production company, in 2010.
In April 2012, McCready gave birth to her second child, a son named Zayne. The child's father, record producer David Wilson, was found dead on January 13, 2013, at McCready's home, of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. The Cleburne County, Arkansas, sheriff's department opened an investigation into Wilson's death.
Following Wilson's death, McCready released a statement in which she referred to him as her "soulmate" and "life partner".
Roger Clemens affair
In April 2008, the ''
New York Daily News
The New York ''Daily News'', officially titled the ''Daily News'', is an American newspaper based in Jersey City, NJ. It was founded in 1919 by Joseph Medill Patterson as the ''Illustrated Daily News''. It was the first U.S. daily printed in ta ...
'' reported a possible long-term relationship between McCready and baseball star
Roger Clemens
William Roger Clemens (born August 4, 1962), nicknamed "Rocket", is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played 24 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), primarily with the Boston Red Sox. Clemens was one of the most dominant pi ...
that began when she was 15.
Clemens' attorney
Rusty Hardin
Russell "Rusty" Hardin, Jr. (born October 6, 1941) is an American attorney and head of the Houston law firm Rusty Hardin & Associates, P.C. which he established in 1996.
Early life
Hardin attended a private military academy in Chattanooga, Tenne ...
denied the affair, stating that Clemens would bring a defamation suit regarding this false allegation. Clemens' attorney admitted that a relationship existed but described McCready as a "close family friend". He also stated that McCready had traveled on Clemens' personal jet and that Clemens' wife was aware of the relationship.
Clemens issued a statement saying only, "I have made mistakes in my personal life for which I am sorry." McCready described the relationship as being sexual in nature.
On November 17, 2008, McCready spoke in more detail to ''
Inside Edition
''Inside Edition'' is an American news broadcasting newsmagazine program that is distributed in first-run syndication by CBS Media Ventures. Having premiered on January 9, 1989, it is the longest-running syndicated-newsmagazine program that is n ...
'' about her affair with Clemens. She stated that their relationship lasted for more than a decade, ending when Clemens refused to leave his wife to marry McCready. She was 16 when they first met, she said, adding that the relationship didn't become sexual "until several years later".
Legal issues
In August 2004, McCready was arrested in
Tennessee
Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...
for using a fake prescription to buy the painkiller
OxyContin
Oxycodone, sold under various brand names such as Roxicodone and OxyContin (which is the extended release form), is a strong, semi-synthetic opioid used medically for treatment of moderate to severe pain. It is highly addictive and a commonly ...
. Although she initially denied the charge, she pleaded guilty and was fined $4,000, sentenced to three years of
probation
Probation in criminal law is a period of supervision over an offender, ordered by the court often in lieu of incarceration.
In some jurisdictions, the term ''probation'' applies only to community sentences (alternatives to incarceration), such ...
, and ordered to perform 200 hours of
community service
Community service is unpaid work performed by a person or group of people for the benefit and betterment of their community without any form of compensation. Community service can be distinct from volunteering, since it is not always performed ...
.
In May 2005, McCready was stopped by Nashville police for speeding, then arrested and charged with
driving under the influence
Driving under the influence (DUI)—also called driving while impaired, impaired driving, driving while intoxicated (DWI), drunk driving, operating while intoxicated (OWI), operating under the influence (OUI), operating vehicle under the infl ...
and driving with a suspended license. A jury later found her not guilty on the charges of DUI but guilty of driving with a suspended license. That July, she was charged in
Arizona
Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...
with
identity theft
Identity theft occurs when someone uses another person's personal identifying information, like their name, identifying number, or credit card number, without their permission, to commit fraud or other crimes. The term ''identity theft'' was co ...
, unlawful use of transportation, unlawful imprisonment, and hindering prosecution. An arrest
warrant was issued for her the following month for violation of her probation when she left Tennessee without her probation officer's permission. She was also charged with not reporting to her probation officer during July. She was finally arrested in Florida and returned to Tennessee. She faced a hearing later that year on charges of violating her probation on a drug charge by failing to check in with her probation officer and leaving the state without permission to go to
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
.
In July 2007, McCready was arrested in her hometown of
Fort Myers, Florida
Fort Myers (or Ft. Myers) is a city in southwestern Florida and the county seat and commercial center of Lee County, Florida, United States. The Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program calculated that the city's population was 92,245 in 20 ...
, and charged with battery and resisting arrest for an apparent scuffle with her mother. The following week, she was taken into custody at the Nashville International Airport for violating probation. In September, McCready was sentenced to a year in jail for violating probation. In addition to the jail time, she was ordered to serve two more years of probation and perform 200 additional hours of community service. She was released from jail in December.
In June 2008, McCready was arrested in Tennessee for violating the terms of her probation set in September 2007. Sentenced to 60 days in jail, McCready turned herself in on September 30, 2008. After serving half of her sentence, she was released early for good behavior on October 30, 2008.
McCready was associated with and allegedly victimized by con man Jonathan Roda. The case was featured on television's ''
I (Almost) Got Away with It
''I (Almost) Got Away with It'' is an American documentary television series on Investigation Discovery
Investigation Discovery (stylized and branded on-air as ID since 2008) is an American multinational pay television network dedicated to ...
''.
Death
On February 17, 2013, McCready's neighbors called the Sheriff's Office of
Cleburne County, Arkansas
Cleburne County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of the 2010 census, the population was 25,970. The county seat and most populous city is Heber Springs. The county was formed on February 20, 1883, as the last of Arkansas's ...
, reporting gunshots. McCready was found dead on her front porch from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, the same place where David Wilson, her former boyfriend and the father of her younger son, had fatally shot himself one month prior.
[Red, Christian (February 17, 2013)]
"Troubled country music star Mindy McCready, 37, who had affair with ex-Yankee Roger Clemens, kills her dog and then commits suicide"
. '' Daily News'' (New York). She was 37 years old.
[ She also shot and killed Wilson's pet dog before her suicide.] McCready is interred at Alva Cemetery in Alva, Florida
Alva is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Lee County, Florida, United States, situated on the Caloosahatchee River. The population was 2,725 at the 2020 census, up from 2,596 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Cap ...
.
Discography
;Studio albums
*''Ten Thousand Angels
''Ten Thousand Angels'' is the debut studio album of American country music singer Mindy McCready. It was released on BNA Records in 1996 and sold two million copies being certified double platinum by the RIAA. The album peaked at #5 on the US cou ...
'' (1996)
*'' If I Don't Stay the Night'' (1997)
*''I'm Not So Tough
''I'm Not So Tough'' is the third studio album by American country music singer Mindy McCready. It was released on BNA Records in 1999. This album peaked at #17 on the US country charts and sold 144,000 copies. The album included the single "All ...
'' (1999)
*''Mindy McCready
Malinda Gayle McCready (November 30, 1975 – February 17, 2013) was an American country music singer. Active from 1995 until her death in 2013, she recorded a total of five studio albums. Her debut album, 1996's '' Ten Thousand Angels'', w ...
'' (2002)
*''I'm Still Here I'm Still Here may refer to:
* ''I'm Still Here'' (book), a 2018 memoir by Austin Channing Brown
In film and television:
* '' I'm Still Here: The Truth About Schizophrenia'', a 1996 documentary film
* ''I'm Still Here'' (2010 film), a 2010 mockum ...
'' (2010)
References
External links
*Mindy McCready
Malinda Gayle McCready (November 30, 1975 – February 17, 2013) was an American country music singer. Active from 1995 until her death in 2013, she recorded a total of five studio albums. Her debut album, 1996's '' Ten Thousand Angels'', w ...
at AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:McCready, Mindy
1975 births
2013 suicides
20th-century American singers
21st-century American singers
American country singer-songwriters
American women country singers
BNA Records artists
Burials in Florida
Capitol Records artists
Country musicians from Florida
Country musicians from Tennessee
Female suicides
Musicians from Nashville, Tennessee
Participants in American reality television series
People from Fort Myers, Florida
Singer-songwriters from Florida
Suicides by firearm in Arkansas
People from Heber Springs, Arkansas
Singer-songwriters from Tennessee
Singer-songwriters from Arkansas
20th-century American women singers
21st-century American women singers
Country musicians from Arkansas