HEBER SPRINGS, Ark. – Perhaps there was one heartbreak too many for Mindy McCready.

The former country star apparently took her own life on Sunday at her home in Heber Springs, Ark. Authorities say McCready died of a suspected self-inflicted gunshot to the head and an autopsy is planned. She was 37, and left behind two young sons.

McCready had attempted suicide at least three times since 2005 as she struggled to cope amid a series of tumultuous public events that marked much of her adult life.

Speaking to The Associated Press in 2010, McCready said of her life, “It is a giant whirlwind of chaos all the time. … I think that’s really the life of a celebrity, of a big, huge, giant personality.”

Her death comes a month after that of David Wilson, her longtime boyfriend and the father of her youngest son. He is believed to have shot himself on the same porch of the home they shared in Heber Springs, a small vacation community about 65 miles north of Little Rock. His death also was investigated as a suicide.

It’s unclear what circumstances led to McCready taking her own life, but it appears she was struggling again with twin issues that have persisted for years — substance abuse and the custody of her children. She checked into court-ordered rehab and gave her children up to foster care earlier this month after her father asked a judge to intervene, saying she’d stopped taking care of herself and her sons and was abusing alcohol and prescription drugs.

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It’s unclear why McCready was out of rehab.

Billy McKnight, McCready’s ex-boyfriend and the father of her oldest son, said the children remain in foster care.

In 2010, after a stint on Dr. Drew Pinsky’s “Celebrity Rehab 3” where she was treated for “love addiction,” she told The Associated Press she may have finally found love and the strength to get her life back on track.

Pinsky, who had no comment Sunday, called McCready an “angel” in the season finale and expressed hope she would continue to seek treatment in a later interview. McCready suffered a seizure in one of the show’s scarier moments. Tests showed she had suffered brain damage, something she attributed to her abuse at the hands of McKnight.

Fergie, Duhamel expecting

A representative for the Black Eyed Peas singer confirmed the news Monday. Fergie’s actor husband, Josh Duhamel, tweeted about the news, saying: “Fergie and Me and BABY makes three.”

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The 37-year-old Fergie and 40-year-old Duhamel married in 2009. She joined the Black Eyed Peas when the group released its third album, “Elephunk,” in 2003. The foursome is known for its pop-inspired hip-hop tunes like “My Humps” and “I Gotta Feeling.”

Fergie launched her solo debut, “The Duchess,” to much success in 2006. It featured five Top 5 hits, including “Fergalicious” and “Big Girls Don’t Cry.”

Duhamel has appeared in the “Transformer” films and most recently in “Safe Haven.”

Michelle Obama turns 49 with bangs

Michelle Obama jokingly says a mid-life crisis is what inspired her new haircut with bangs.

The first lady revealed the new hairstyle last month on her 49th birthday, which came a few days before the festivities for President Obama’s second inauguration.

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She was asked about the new haircut during an interview with talk-show host Rachel Ray.

Said the first lady: “This is my mid-life crisis.” She added that she cut her bangs because she can’t get a sports car and won’t be allowed to bungee jump.

The interview was conducted via Skype and is scheduled to air Wednesday. The show released excerpts Monday.— From news service reports

 


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