( CNN ) -- Country music star Mindy McCready was found dead Sunday at her home in Arkansas from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound , the local sheriff 's office said in a statement . She was 37 . Deputies from the Cleburne County Sheriff 's Office were dispatched to a report of gunshots fired Sunday afternoon and found McCready 's body on the front porch , the statement read . McCready leaves behind two boys , one of whom is 10 months old . The infant 's father , record producer David Wilson , died of an apparent suicide last month . The singer struggled with addiction and mental illness , often publicly . She appeared in an episode of `` Celebrity Rehab '' three years ago with Dr. Drew Pinsky , who said he contacted her last month after her boyfriend 's death . `` When I heard she was struggling , I did reach out to her and urged her to go to take care of herself , get in a facility if she felt she needed , '' said Pinsky , who hosts his own program on CNN 's sister network HLN . `` Her biggest fear was the stigma of doing so and what people would think if she , God forbid , took care of herself . And this to me is the most distressing part of this story . She is a lovely woman , we have lost her , and it did n't have to go down like this . '' McCready burst onto the music scene in 1996 with her debut album `` 10,000 Angels , '' and the chart-topping hit `` Guys Do It All the Time . '' In the past few years , McCready waged a public battle for custody of her elder son , Zander . She took the boy from her mother , who had custody , and fled with him to her home in Arkansas , saying she had concerns over his safety . McCready fights for custody of her son . A judge ordered authorities to pick up the boy , who was 5 at the time , and days later authorities found McCready hiding with Zander in a closet at her home . Country music stars expressed their condolences Sunday on hearing news of McCready 's death . `` I grew up listening to Mindy McCready ... so sad for her family tonight . Many prayers are going out to them , '' tweeted singer Carrie Underwood . `` It breaks my heart what addiction continues to take from this life , '' singer Wynonna Judd wrote in a series of tweets . `` Addiction is a disEASE & not a character flaw . When the pain becomes too much , it causes people to want that pain to stop . This is just so unbelieveable & so sad . '' A year ago , McCready posted excerpts of a book she said was upcoming about her life . She acknowledged a difficult upbringing , personal problems and the challenges she faced turning her life around . `` I have n't had a hit in almost a decade , '' she wrote in January 2012 on her official fan website . `` I 've spent my fortune , tarnished my public view and made myself the brunt of punch line after punch line . I 've been beaten , sued , robbed , arrested , jailed , and evicted . But I 'm still here . With a handful of people that I know and trust , a revived determination , and both middle fingers up in the air , I 'm ready . I 've been here before . I 'm a fighter . I 'm down , but I 'll never be out . '' CNN 's Elwyn Lopez contributed to this report .
Mindy McCready is found dead at her home in Arkansas . The gunshot wound appears to be self - inflicted , sheriff 's department says . She had long struggled with addiction and mental illness . She burst onto the scene in 1996 with her band ` ` Black Angels ''