Mindy McCready
Country singer Mindy McCready found dead on the front porch of her home in Heber Springs, Arkansas, with a self-inflicted gunshot to the head.

Country star Mindy McCready has been found dead in an apparent suicide.

The troubled 37-year-old singer, who topped the charts with What if I Do, The Other Side of this Kiss, and You'll Never Know, was found dead on the front porch of her home in Heber Springs, Arkansas, with a single bullet to the head.

Cleburne County sheriff's office said officers were sent to the singer's home after reports of gunshots.

McCready was found dead with what appeared to be a single, self-inflicted gunshot wound. An autopsy is pending.

The singer, who has two children, had attempted to take her own life twice before - in 2005 and again in 2008 - and was known to have problems with substance abuse.

After several attempts in rehab, she appeared in 2010 on the VH1 reality show Celebrity Rehab with Dr Drew.

Her death came just weeks after her long-term partner and father of her youngest child, record producer David Wilson, was found dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.

A distraught McCready told NBC's Dateline programme that she had "never gone through anything this painful".

"He didn't just touch my heart, he touched my soul," she said.

Star including Natalie Maines of the Dixie Chicks, Wynonna Judd and Carrie Underwood reacted with shock and disbelief.

Maines tweeted: "Too much tragedy to overcome. RIP Mindy McCready."

Judd said: "Oh my! Mindy. Dear sweet girl. This is so sad. It just breaks my heart what addiction continues to take from this life."

Fellow country singer Underwood added: "I grew up listening to Mindy McCready. So sad for her family. Many prayers are going out to them."

McCready found fame in 1996 with her debut album, 10,000 Angels, and the chart-topping hit, Guys do it All the Time.

She recorded five studio albums, and scored 12 hits on the US country music charts.