Iconic country music singer and actress, Reba McEntire is revered not only for her remarkable career, but also for her resilience and grace in life’s myriad challenges. Known as the “Queen of Country,” Reba has enjoyed massive success, earning her a spot among the best-selling musicians of all time and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. However, despite her public persona and success, Reba has faced personal hardships that reveal a vulnerability often masked by her public triumphs.
The Oklahoma-born star’s life has been a mix of spectacular highs and poignant lows. In 2015, after 26 years of marriage, Reba and her husband Narvel Blackstock announced their divorce, a separation she admits she never wanted. This personal upheaval came shortly after the death of her father Clark McEntire in 2014, a man who was not only a parental figure but also a significant influence on her professional life. Clark, a three-time world champion steerer, was inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame the same year Reba released her heartfelt song “Daddy” in 1979, underscoring the deep connection between their personal and professional lives.
One of my favorite singers is without a doubt Reba McEntire, who is also an amazing woman.
The legendary country singer seems to have it all on the outside; she is not only an actress and music producer, but also one of the best-selling musicians of all time.
However, the Oklahoma-born Queen of Country has had a rough time and experienced some traumatic and heartbreaking losses. After 26 years of marriage, she and her husband Narvel Blackstock divorced in 2015. Five years later, Reba revealed her true feelings and spoke openly about what actually happened after her breakup with her lover.
When Reba McEntire made her breakthrough in country music in the late 1970s and early 1980s, she won our hearts. The Country Music Association has awarded the Oklahoma native the title of “Top Vocalist” four years in a row. Naturally, he also has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Despite her successful career and the millions of dollars she has amassed from it, Reba has a difficult life. Reba McEntire’s father, Clark McEntire, passed away in 2014. Reba’s life was completely changed by his untimely passing.
Three-time World Steer Champion Clark McEntire was very important to Reba as a child and as a professional. In fact, Reba recorded the song “Daddy” in 1979 to express her gratitude to him, the same year her father was honored with induction into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame.
Reba dedicated the ballad “Just Like Them Horses” from her 2015 album Love Somebody to her late father. She also revealed that the song was her funeral rendition.
Unfortunately, not many years after her father’s death, Reba also had to say goodbye to her beloved mother. Reba’s mother Jacqueline, then 93, died in March 2020 after a long battle with cancer.
After a beautiful, long and healthy life, she was well prepared to die. The country music artist posted on social media: “Cancer may believe she has won the battle, but we give God all the credit for timing her to come home to Him.”
Jacqueline McEntire always wanted to be a successful country music performer. When she was younger, she was even compared to legendary country singer Patsy Cline. “She had no breaks or anyone to back her up, even though people said she was as good as Patsy.
I’m not going to Nashville. Rather, Mom started teaching school at sixteen, got married, and moved to a ranch. he took care of us everywhere and taught us songs. We sinned together as a family,” Reba told the Longview News-Journal in 1984.
A devout Christian, McEntire has always relied on her religion to get her through tough times. When her mother died, she made no exception.
“I probably would have lost my mind if it wasn’t for God,” she declared. “No, pack your things and let’s go!” was his reply. In order to get your attention, he may occasionally jerk you around. If you do this to get to the point where you cry out, “Lord, please help, I need your help,” he has succeeded in his mission. She told the Tennessean, “I’m pretty sure he did it to me.”
Reba McEntire’s reason for divorce
Reba experienced another heartbreaking setback in 2015. Reba and her husband Narvel Blackstock have announced they are separating after 16 years of marriage. When Blackstock joined her band as a steel guitar player in 1989, the two got together for the first time. After a brief courtship, Reba and Blackstock married on a boat in Lake Tahoe.
They founded Starstruck Entertainment together as a business venture based on their romance. Originally formed to help manage Reba’s career, Blackstock eventually began writing songs and gaining success for his wife.
Reba and Narvel welcomed Shelby Steven McEntire Blackstock as a son in 1990. They had a long and happy life together, not only as business partners but also as a devoted couple.
Many, including Reba, were shocked to learn of the divorce. While she declined to comment on the reason for the split, she did provide some details in an interview with CMT’s Cody Ala.
“I didn’t want that in any way, shape or form. It was very difficult to adjust when someone was unhappy. Because life is too short to be unhappy, I just want everyone to be happy in their lives. Dad kept commenting, ” I just thought it would be best to take my marbles and go play somewhere else,” Reba said.
Naturally, Reba had a lot of drama from the divorce, including having to take on more responsibility for her own business endeavors.
The 66-year-old country music legend recently discussed the impact of her divorce in an appearance on the Apple Fitness+ series “Time to Walk.”
“My marriage started to take a bad turn.
My manager and husband at the time, Narvel Blackstock, and I got divorced and the shocking thing was that four people were taking care of all my affairs,” she noted.
“My father passed away, my manager and husband left, my CEO left and my production manager left too. Four individuals who were pillars and rocks in my life were no longer there.”
The disappearance of her father and husband and the need to take care of herself seriously woke Reba up.
“I made money, I brought it home,” she noted. “I started to realize how much the water cost, the electric bill and all the things that were going on in my life.” So it was a big, huge shift for me.”
Reba prayed once again to God to deal with her pain and suffering.
“Everything I dealt with I had to manage privately, personally through God.” ‘Okay boy, I can’t do this,’ I had to say. I’m not sure what to do because this is way above my pay grade and as I expected he led me.
“I don’t know where I would be or where my job would be right now if it wasn’t for my faith,” the woman said.
rediscovered love
After a few tough years, Reba decided to find happiness again. For a time, she dated Anthony “Skeeter” Lasuzzo, a wildlife photographer and former businessman.
During a trip to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, Reba met Lasuzzo. It is said that Reba’s friends advised her to get in touch with him.
“[They said] we have a friend who’s a wildlife photographer and he knows all the good places to go and he’ll drive you around,” Reba told Country Living.com. “So he did, and we started dating about a month or two after that.
The duo attended the 2018 Grammy Awards together and some adorable moments were captured on video.
Reba declared: “We are in love – absolutely.” “! if I wasn’t in love with someone, I wouldn’t tolerate them for two years!”
Unfortunately, it didn’t last. The couple broke up after two years of dating.
Reba told US Weekly, “We just decided to go our separate ways, but we still talk and are friends.”
In 2021 Reba McEntire’s boyfriend
However, Reba was able to find love again very quickly.
Actor Rex Linn (64) and the famous country singer started dating during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Rex’s most famous appearance was on CSI: Miami as Sgt. Frank Tripp. In the fall of 2020, Reba and Rex fell in love.
Our conversation started during the pandemic. Was it in January that we had dinner with Rex? The COVID outbreak broke out in February, Reba said on her own podcast.
We engaged in conversation, messaging and FaceTime, which is an excellent method of meeting new people. It’s nice to have someone to laugh with, discuss current events with, and talk to. conversations about our family, history and funny anecdotes. I am an actress and he is an actor. He loves my music and I love his career. Talking to someone who shares my interests and finds me fascinating, funny, intelligent and engaging is pretty amazing.”
Reba says she’s excited about what the future may hold right now.
“Whatever happens in the future, we’re very stable at the moment and it’s been a good six months and I’m looking forward to more things to look forward to,” she said.
Here’s hoping this country music icon finds everything he deserves in life.
Reba, thank you for enriching our hearts with your songs. She has such a beautiful and elegant heart. Tell everyone you know who likes Reba about this, please.
Reba McEntire’s life and career offer a compelling testimony of resilience, transformation, and the constant search for personal happiness amid public challenges. Her journey through triumphs and trials, from her rise as a country music icon to her deeply personal losses and courageous confrontations with life’s unpredictable twists, reflects themes that often appear in her music: authenticity, strength and perseverance.
Throughout her life, Reba has navigated the complexities of love, loss and career management with a level of grace and directness that resonates deeply with her fans. Her openness about her divorce, the passing of her beloved parents, and subsequent personal transformations speaks to her character – a woman who faces life head on, grounded in her faith and unyielding determination to move forward.
Despite the hardships, Reba’s journey is also one of rediscovery and renewed love. Her relationships, while marked by their own struggles and conclusions, led her to new beginnings and further insights into her own needs and desires. Cultivated in a time of global uncertainty, her association with Rex Linn underscores her belief in the possibility of new love and friendship, regardless of life stage.
Reba McEntire’s narrative is not just about the travails of a public figure, but also about the universal search for joy, understanding and fulfillment. As she continues to entertain and inspire, her personal life remains a powerful reminder of her resilience and ability to find light in the midst of darkness. Her story encourages us all to embrace our paths, face our challenges with courage, and never lose sight of what helps us thrive.
As fans and observers, we look forward to witnessing the next chapters of Reba’s life unfold, and trust that whatever the future holds, she will approach it with the same verve and authenticity that has marked her incredible life thus far. Thank you Reba for sharing your heart and music with all of us.