Kellie Pickler performs live for the first time since husband's death: 'He is here with us'

Kellie Pickler is honoring her late husband as she returns to the stage for the first time since his death.

The "American Idol" alum, 37, performed Monday at an event paying tribute to country music singer Patsy Cline in Nashville, Tennessee, marking Pickler's first live performance since the death of her husband, Kyle Jacobs.

"I'd be lying if I didn't say I was incredibly nervous right now," she said, according to a video of the performance shared on TikTok by Music Mayhem Magazine. "It's the first time I've been up on stage in a while."

Jacobs, a songwriter who also worked with artists like Garth Brooks and Tim McGraw, was found dead inside the couple's home in February 2023 in an apparent suicide, the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department said at the time. He was 49.

Pickler performed "The Woman I Am," a song she wrote with her late husband, in the Ryman Auditorium and told fans she was last at the venue when she was on a date night with him.

"I know he is here with us tonight," she said. 

Kellie Picklerspeaks out for first time since husband's death: 'Darkest time in my life'

In August, Pickler said in a statement provided to the Nashville Tennessean that she was heeding Jacobs' advice to "do nothing; just be still" following his death.

"Thank you to my family, friends, and supporters, for the countless letters, calls, and messages that you have sent my way," she said at the time. "It has truly touched my soul and it’s helping me get through the darkest time in my life. As many of you have told me, you are all in my prayers."

Kyle Jacobs,songwriter husband of Kellie Pickler, dead by apparent suicide at 49

Pickler also honored Cline at Monday's tribute event, calling the late "Walkin' After Midnight" singer a "huge reason why I fell in love with music."

If you or someone you know may be struggling with suicidal thoughts, you can contact the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by texting or calling 988 or chatting online at 988lifeline.org.

Contributing: Charles Trepany and KiMi Robinson, USA TODAY