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

Kellie Pickler is breaking her silence six months after her husband, Kyle Jacobs, died at 49.

The country singer, 37, whose successful run on "American Idol" in 2006 launched her musical career, said on Thursday she has heeded her late husband's advice to "do nothing; just be still" since he died in their Nashville-area home earlier this year. Metro Nashville Police Department said Jacobs died of an apparent suicide.

"I am planning an intimate memorial for my husband, which will happen later this fall, that is what Kyle would have wanted," Pickler said in a statement to the Nashville Tennessean, part of the USA TODAY Network, through a representative.

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

The two were married since 2011 and co-starred on the 2015 reality series "I Love Kellie Pickler."

Jacobs is credited with writing hits for country stars such as Garth Brooks and Tim McGraw. He co-produced Lee Brice's "I Drive Your Truck," which won Song of the Year at the Country Music Association Awards and the Academy of Country Music Awards. Pickler co-wrote the title track of her 2013 album "The Woman I Am" with Jacobs.

"Nobody knows the woman I am better than my husband," she told USA TODAY in November 2013. "There was no way I could try to be anything I'm not, because he could definitely call me on it."

Grief is a normal emotion,but it can be overwhelming. Here are tips for living with it

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 Craig Shoup, USA TODAY network