McCready dies in apparent suicide

McCready’s body was found on the porch of a house in Heber Springs, Arkansas, on Sunday afternoon. She was pronounced dead at the scene “from what appears to be a single self-inflicted gunshot wound,” the Cleburne County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.

Deputies had been dispatched to the area following reports of “shots fired,” the sheriff’s office said, adding that McCready’s family had been notified.

Florida-born McCready moved to Nashville, Tennessee, to break into the country music business at the age of 18, according to allmusic.com.

She achieved early success with her 1996 debut album, Ten Thousands Angels, which sold a reported 2 million copies. Four other studio albums followed.

While successful in her career, McCready’s personal life had began to unravel in recent years.

In 2004 she was convicted of prescription drug fraud and placed on parole. Three years later she spent time in jail for violating her parole terms.

The sheriff’s office said McCready’s body would be taken to the Arkansas State Crime Lab for an autopsy, adding that “the matter will be fully investigated.”