Mindy McCready has had to overcome a lot in the past several years, including drug addiction, jail time, and abuse at the hands of an ex. But nothing compares to the heartache the country singer has been feeling since Jan. 13 of this year, when her boyfriend of two years, David Wilson, died from what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
McCready opened up about the tragedy in an interview for NBC's Dateline, a portion of which was shown on the TODAY show on Tuesday, Jan. 29. "I've never gone through anything this painful," she said, "nor will I ever again go through anything as painful." Calling Wilson her "soul mate," she added, "He didn't just touch my heart, he touched my soul."
Wilson, 34 at the time of his death, was the father of McCready's 9-month-old son, Zayne. (She also has a 6-year-old son, Zander, from her relationship with Billy McKnight.) According to reports, Wilson was taken to a hospital near his home in Heber Springs, Ark., when emergency personnel responded to a call about a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Shortly thereafter, he was pronounced dead. The investigation remains open.
Asked whether she had had any role in her record producer boyfriend's death, the "Ten Thousand Angels" singer told Dateline, "Oh my God, no. Oh my God, no. He was my life. We were each other's life." She also slammed rumors that Wilson had been cheating on her, saying, "David was not having an affair with another woman. That is absolutely totally untrue."
However, when questioned about whether she believed "100 percent" that Wilson had committed suicide and had not been murdered, McCready was quiet for a moment. "I don't know," she admitted.