Kellie Pickler performs live for first time since husband’s 2023 death

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Country singer Kellie Pickler is once again on stage, more than a year after the death of her husband last year.

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Pickler appeared Monday at an event honoring Patsy Cline in Nashville, Tennessee, USA Today reported. Fans gave her a standing ovation as she entered the stage, E! News reported.

“I’d be lying if I didn’t say I was incredibly nervous right now,” she said in a TikTok video shared by Music Mayem Magazine. “It’s the first time I’ve been up on stage in a while.”

She performed “The Woman I Am,” a song co-written by Pickler and her husband Kyle Jacobs for her 2013 album, HuffPost reported. Jacobs died by suicide in February 2023, USA Today reported.

The show was at the Ryman Auditorium. Pickler said the last time she was there was during a date night with Jacobs.

“I know he is here with us tonight,” she told the crowd.

Pickler and Jacobs married in 2011 and the pair appeared on the CMT reality series “I Love Kellie Pickler, according to HuffPost. In addition to songwriting with his wife, Jacobs also worked with Kelly Clarkson, Tim McCraw and Garth Brooks.

Pickler remained silent for months after her husband’s death, telling The Tennessean in August, “One of the most beautiful lessons my husband taught me was in a moment of a crisis, if you don’t know what to do, ‘do nothing, just be still,’ I have chosen to heed his advice.”

The tribute concert — “Walkin’ After Midnight: The Music of Patsy Cline” — featured Wynonna Judd, Rita Wilson, Beverly D’Angelo, Crystal Gayle, Pat Benatar and Kristin Chenoweth alongside Pickler.

Note: If you or someone you know is thinking of harming themselves, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline provides free support via the Lifeline by dialing 988. For more about risk factors and warning signs, visit the organization’s official website.

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Through the years HOLLYWOOD - FEBRUARY 18: American Idol semi-finalist Kellie Pickler attends the American Idol Semi-Finalists Party at Cinespace on February 18, 2006 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Stephen Shugerman/Getty Images) (Stephen Shugerman/Getty Images)

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