It’s been three years since Reba McEntire’s mother passed away — and the “Queen of Country” remembers how her mom’s death nearly led to the end of her iconic music career.
“Oh, I didn’t want to [sing]. I told my little sister Susie when we were working at the house, I said, ‘I don’t know if I want to sing anymore.’ She said, ‘Why?’ I said, ‘Because I always sang for Mama,’” McEntire, 68, said during a Tuesday, October 10, appearance on the Today show.
Jacqueline McEntire died on March 14, 2020. She was 93.
“Mama was the one that inspired us kids, taught us kids how to sing, took us to our singing gigs and was our biggest cheerleader,” The Voice coach recalled. Reba remembered her mother telling her to become a recording artist so she could vicariously live through her career.
“She said, ‘Reba, I will be living my dreams through you. So golly, why wouldn’t you want to go sing?’”
The 3-time Grammy winner will release her 33rd album, Not That Fancy, on Friday, October 13. The project includes a song inspired by her mother titled, “Seven Minutes in Heaven.”
The album is named after Reba’s new collection of recipes, memoirs, photos and lifestyle tips: Not That Fancy: Simple Lessons on Living, Loving, Eating, and Dusting Off Your Boots, which hit shelves on Tuesday.
The country legend has been dating actor Rex Linn since 2020. They met in 1991 and reconnected following the death of her mother. During her appearance on Today, Reba shared that Linn was the key to her coping with her mom’s passing.
“When you have somebody to share the grief with, when you have somebody to share the fun (and) the sad times, it’s always so much better,” she said. “And Rex is a very uplifting, positive man, and I love him with all my heart.”
The singer paid tribute to her mother when she announced her death three years ago via X (formerly known as Twitter).
“Our Mother, Jacqueline McEntire, made that wonderful cross over into Heaven today. She had a wonderful, full, healthy life and was absolutely ready to go,” she wrote at the time. “The cancer might think it won the battle but we’re giving God all the credit on selecting the time for her to go home to Him.”
She continued: “She left knowing how much she is loved and we all know how much she loved us. We are very thankful for all the prayers, cards, calls, visits, the caregivers with their huge hearts, and the time God gave us with Mama.”
Reba also posted a family photo with the caption, “Jackie, Jac, Ms McEntire, Mama, Mama Jac, Momo Jac, Grandma, Grandma Jac, whatever the title was at the time – she gave you her undivided attention. We’re all going to miss her but we have so many wonderful memories. Thank you Lord for that.”
