Without a question, Reba McEntire is one of my favorite singers, and she is also a stunning woman.
The country music icon appears to have it all on the surface; in addition to being one of the best-selling performers of all time, she is also a record producer and an actress.
However, the Oklahoma-born Queen of Country has been having a difficult time and has had a number of shocking and terrible losses behind the scenes.
After 26 years of marriage, she and her spouse, Narvel Blackstock, divorced in 2015.
Reba has opened out her heart and spoken candidly about what truly happened when she and her love split up five years ago.
When Reba McEntire made her breakthrough in country music in the late 1970s and early 1980s, she won our hearts. The Country Music Association named the Oklahoma native “best singer” four years in a row.
Her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame is a given.
Reba’s life has been difficult despite her successful job and all the money she has made from it.
Clark McEntire, Reba McEntire’s father, passed away in 2014. Reba’s life was completely upended by his untimely demise.
Three-time World Champion steer roper Clark McEntire had a significant impact on Reba throughout her career and throughout her youth. In fact, Reba recorded the song “Daddy” in 1979, the same year her father was inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame, as a way of expressing her gratitude for him.
Reba included the waltz “Just Like Them Horses” on her 2015 CD Love Somebody as a tribute to her late father. She also mentioned singing the song during his funeral.
Only a few years following the death of her father, Reba was regrettably forced to say goodbye to her cherished mother as well. Jacqueline, Reba’s mother, succumbed to cancer in March 2020 at the age of 93.
“She lived a great, prosperous life and was well prepared to pass go. The cancer may believe it has prevailed, but we give God all the glory for choosing the right moment for her to return to Him, the country singer posted on social media.
Jacqueline McEntire has always aspired to be a successful country singer. She was even compared in her teens to Patsy Cline, the legendary female country singer.
“People have compared her to Patsy, but she lacked the breaks and no one to support her. Not going to Nashville. Instead, Mama got married, started a family, and moved to the ranch at the age of 16. tended to our needs and taught us music. As a family, we used to sin,” Reba recalled to the Longview News-Journal in 1984.
McEntire, a devout Christian, has always relied on her religion to get through difficult times. When her mother passed away, she didn’t change.
If it weren’t for God, she likely would have gone insane, she added. He responded, “Nope, gather your belongings; we’re moving on. When he has to pull your chain in order to attract your attention, he knows he has succeeded if it causes you to reach rock bottom and scream out, “Lord, please help; I need your aid.” I’m quite convinced he treated me that way,” she said.
Reba had yet another heartbreaking blow in 2015 of a different kind. Reba and her husband Narvel Blackstock made the announcement that they would be divorcing after 16 years of marriage.
Back in 1989, when Blackstock played steel guitar in her band, the couple first became acquainted. Reba and Blackstock wed on a boat at Lake Tahoe after a brief courtship.
They founded Starstruck Entertainment as a business venture out of their romance. Although Blackstock first formed the business to assist in managing Reba’s career, after some time he also began writing songs and chart-topping successes for his wife.
Shelby Steven McEntire Blackstock, a son, was born to Reba and Narvel in 1990. They led a great life together for many years, working together both as business partners and as a devoted spouse.
Many people, including Reba, were shocked by the divorce. Although she didn’t want to discuss the cause for the breakup, she did provide some details in an interview.
“In any way, shape, or form, I didn’t want it. When someone is unhappy, adjusting is quite difficult. Our lives are too short to be unhappy, so I just want everyone to be content in their life. Daddy used to constantly say, “I just decided it was the best thing to take my marbles and go play somewhere else,” Reba remarked.
That Reba had to start managing her own business endeavors was just one of many dramatic aspects of the divorce.
The 66-year-old country music legend recently spoke candidly about the effects of her divorce in the Apple Fitness+ series “Time to Walk.”
“My marriage started to experience problems. The stunner of it all was that there were four individuals handling all of my business when Narvel Blackstock, my manager and spouse at the time, and I divorced.
“My father passed away, my production manager left, my CEO left, as well as my manager and husband. Four men who had been the foundation and pillars of my world were now gone.
When Reba’s father and husband vanished and she was left on her own, she received a serious wake-up call.
She added, “I made the money, I brought it home. I started noticing how much water cost, and the energy bill, and all the things that was going on in my life. Therefore, it was a significant change for me.
Reba prayed to God once more to help her overcome her pain and sadness.
“I had to run everything I was dealing with individually and personally through God. OK, big boy, I can’t handle this, I had to say. I don’t know what to do because this is much above my pay grade. He would lead me while I waited and looked to Him. I don’t know where I would be or what my job would be without my faith, she continued.
Reba began to look for happiness again after a difficult few years. She had a brief relationship with Anthony “Skeeter” Lasuzzo, a former businessman and wildlife photographer.
On a trip to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, Reba met Lasuzzo. Reportedly, several of Reba’s friends advised her to get in touch with him.
Reba told,”They said we have a guy who is a wildlife photographer, and he knows all the wonderful locations to go and he’ll drive you around.” “And so he did, and a month or two after we started dating.”
The duo attended the 2018 Grammy Awards together and was photographed in several adorable situations.
Reba declared, “We’re absolutely in love. “If I weren’t in love with someone, I wouldn’t put up with them for two years!”
Sadly, it wasn’t meant to last. The pair split up two years into their relationship.
Reba said, “We just decided to go our separate ways, but we still chat and are friends.
But Reba quickly discovered love once more. The renowned country singer began dating the 64-year-old actor Rex Linn during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Rex is most known for his work on CSI: Miami as Sgt. Frank Tripp. In the autumn of 2020, Reba and Rex fell in love.
“We have been conversing throughout the pandemic. Was it January when we had dinner with Rex? The COVID pandemic struck starting in February, according to Reba on her own podcast.
We communicated by phone, text, and FaceTime, which is a great method to meet new people. Having someone to converse with, joke with, and discuss current events is beneficial. conversations about our history, our family, and humorous stories. Me being an actress and him being an actor. He enjoys my music a lot, and I enjoy his career a lot. It’s wonderful to talk to someone I think to be really intriguing, witty, intelligent, and interested in me.
Reba says she’s looking forward to what the future may hold as of right now.
It’s been a nice six months, and whatever happens in the future, we’re fairly solid at this point, she added. “I look forward to having more things to look forward to.”