NASHVILLE, Tenn. - During her short life, Mindy McCready had an impressive country music career before apparently committing suicide on Sunday.

FOX17 Entertainment Reporter Stacy McCloud broke the news of this tragedy on Facebook and Twitter. There are a lot of people on Music Row mourning Mindy's death. From those who helped sign McCready, to the guy who wrote her biggest hit, and the young lady who penned the last song the troubled country star ever sang.

"She was like 19," says studio musician and close friend of Mindy Jimmy Nichols. "This little girl with a dream came blowing into Nashville with a karaoke tape."

Before the world was introduced to Mindy McCready in the mid 90s, Nichols was her studio dad, part of the team that prepped Mindy for her big break.

"It was an amazing thing watching this cocoon become a butterfly," says Nichols.

Mindy signed to BNA, released her debut album and her career quickly took off. Kim Tribble wrote her #1 hit "Guys do it All the Time". Kim says he's honored to have a song that will help keep the lively young lady that he knew alive.

"What she had to go through in the end, rebuilding her career," says Tribble. "It's a tragic country song in itself."

For roughly a decade, McCready had career ups and downs. A whirlwind that Nichols says was just too much for the young star to handle.

"I remember saying to Mindy, don't let this business drag you down cause it will," says Nichols. "There are people that want to take you up and knock you down. Don't let them."

Nichols said Mindy wanted to re-release her hits, it just never worked out. She did get to sing one final song, written by Nashville songwriter Courtney Dashe.

"I was playing at a writer's night," says Dashe. "2 years ago. After she came up, she had tears running down her face and said that song is my life. I need to record that song."

Mindy recorded the song about hope and put it on the internet just days before her suicide. A haunting sound for not only Dashe, but for Nichols, who Mindy called, asking for help.

"She said I have to have it out by Sunday," says Nichols. "I said why? Why Sunday?"

Now Nichols knows why. He thinks it was the only way she knew how to say goodbye.

"I think that song was maybe her message, her last message," says Nichols. "So love her for the music and don't judge her for the demons that haunted her all her life."

Courtney will be joining TENNESSEE MORNINGS tomorrow to chat more and perform that song. There was also much more from Jimmy. You can find all that in the RAW NEWS section of our webpage. TONIGHT on FOX17 NEWS, others close to the country star share their beautiful words. You certainly don't want to miss.Friends, Fellow Musicians Reflect on Life and Career of Mindy McCready