Friends and family remember and share their love for country singer Mindy McCready.
    
An intimate memorial service was held Wednesday evening at the Cathedral of the Incarnation in Nashville.

It was an emotional service.

"What defines her is how much she has been loved in life," said Rev. Ed Steiner.

It was a time of reflection and a time to remember Mindy McCready.
   
The people inside the Cathedral knew the 37 year old woman. The rest of us knew her music.

McCready skyrocketed to fame in 1996. Her voice and good looks brought instant fame.

"We watched her in amazement as she sang and performed.  I personally thought she had the world in her hands," said McCready's cousin Tristan White.

But the very career she loved also led to heartache and deep personal struggles.

"Music was her life, her therapy, her victory, her escape and her tragedy," said McCready's publicist and friend Kat Atwood.
    
Nashville studio musician Jimmy Nichols was one of her closest friends.

"Rest well, I love you Mindy.  You have so many angels guarding your soul tonight," said Nichols.

There were many poignant moments. Including when Mindy's cousin read a letter that her father had written for the occasion.

"Mindy, she was my beautiful daughter, she had the voice of an angel.  I was so proud to be her dad," reads McCready's cousin Ashley Webb.

Many spoke of the need to help people who are hurting, people like Mindy McCready.  She is a woman who is gone too soon, and a woman who won't be forgotten.

Mindy McCready leaves behind two young children, Zayne and Zander.
   
During the service people were asked to fill out pledge cards to benefit the two boys.

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