McCready Makes Number Three: “Celebrity Rehab” To Blame For Singer’s Suicide?
February 18th, 2013
Popular 90’s country singer Mindy McCready took her life Sunday with an apparent gunshot wound to the head. Yellow tape sectioned off the porch of McCready’s Herber Springs, Arkansas home, the same spot where her boyfriend, David Wilson, reportedly took his own life last month.
Country stars and fans took to twitter to mourn the singer. Wynonna Judd, a country singer who, like Mindy, has struggled with substance abuse tweets: “Oh my! Mindy. Dear sweet girl. This is so sad. It just breaks my heart what addiction continues to take from this life.”
The 37 year-old mother of two faced a rollercoaster of ups and downs throughout her career mostly attributed to substance abuse and the battle over the custody of her children. After she skyrocketed to fame in the mid 90’s with her hit single “Guys Do It All The Time”, and had great success with her album Ten Thousand Angels, the promising singer became plagued with hardships including multiple drug arrests, several suicide attempts, and an abusive relationship with fellow country singer Billy McKnight, the father of McCready’s oldest son.
In a 2010 Interview with the Associated Press following her stint on the VH1 reality show “Celebrity Rehab 3” McCready said: “It is a giant whirlwind of chaos all the time. I call my life a beautiful mess and organized chaos. It’s just always been like that. My entire life things have been attracted to me and vice versa that turn into chaotic nightmares or I create the chaos myself. I think that’s really the life of a celebrity, of a big, huge, giant personality.”
The circumstances of McCready’s suicide are unclear, but it comes as no surprise to her former ex Billy McKnight who admitted McCready attempted suicide at least twice during their relationship. McCready recently checked into court-ordered rehab and gave her two children, six year-old Zander and ten month-old Zayne, up for adoption. McCready’s father asked the judge to intervene saying the singer failed to take care of her two children and was abusing alcohol and prescription drugs.
McCready is the fifth celebrity to pass away to have appeared on “Celebrity Rehab” and the third to have died from Season 3 alone. The alarming statistic of the reality show’s death toll is gaining attention. Some say that the show’s host, Dr. Drew Pinsky, should be held accountable, but who to blame is not nearly as important as the question of television ratings and mental health. Can an addict receive proper support with a camera in front of their face? Celebrities often cite excessive media attention as a major factor of their substance abuse, the anxiety and pressure being just too much to bear. Turning a mental health issue into prime time television seems detrimental to the recovery process, in fact if “Celebrity Rehab 3” is any measure to go on, it is downright unethical. However, before we cast stones at Dr. Drew, we must also remember that current relapse statistics are not in favor of recovering addicts. Statistics range anywhere from 50-90% depending on the type of drug and the severity of the drug addiction at the time the individual first receives treatment. McCready’s drug use began again shortly after boyfriend David Wilson’s death in January, sadly her destructive behaviors got the better of her.
Mindy McCready’s suicide was a tragic end to a life spent battling uphill. She will be sorely missed by her fans and loved ones.
