68 years old today, and she genuinely deserves all the accolades bestowed upon her. I still listen to her many times a week, and it feels like she has been a part of my life forever.
Reba’s life hasn’t been all sunshine and roses, though; this year is the 32nd anniversary of a plane accident that took the lives of numerous of her friends.
Reba McEntire won the Country Music Association’s “best singer” award four times in a row following her breakthrough in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Naturally, she is also honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Reba has had her fair share of personal traumas, but even with her amazing career and success, life has still been difficult for her.
Reba’s mother Jacqueline, at 93 years old, lost her fight with illness in 2022.
She was completely prepared to pass away and had lived a lovely, long, and healthy life. The country music performer posted on social media, “The cancer may believe it has won the fight, but we’re giving God all the credit for choosing the time for her to go home to Him.”
Jacqueline McEntire’s desire of becoming a professional country singer was always realized when she taught Reba to sing, fulfilling her dream via her daughter.
We all know how much she loved us, and she left knowing how much love she had. Reba remarked, “We have so many amazing memories, but we’re going to miss her.
Reba is well aware of the suffering associated with loss and grief.
Thirty-two years ago, on March 16, she lost seven band members and her tour manager in a devastating plane crash following a performance.
That 1991 day still stays with me. I learned about the collision on the radio when I was commuting to work. The thought that Reba was on the plane made my heart skip a beat.
However, she wasn’t.
On March 16, 1991, Reba and her band played in San Diego. Now, they were on their way to Fort Wayne, Indiana, for their next tour stop.
The band members and tour manager took off first, while Reba, her husband, and her manager spent the night in San Diego at the airport.
Ten miles east of the airport, the first aircraft tragically met its demise.
Reba has frequently honored her deceased friends throughout the years.
She opened out about the day her band broke up in a heartfelt interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2012.
“Everyone on board was killed when the airplane’s tip struck a rock on the side of Otay Mountain,” McEntire said to Winfrey.
“Our pilot was contacted, and Narvel, Reba’s manager, went to meet with him to inform us of what had occurred. When Narvel returned to my hotel room at two or three in the morning, he informed me that one of the planes had crashed. I said, “Are they okay?” In his words, “I don’t think so.” “But you’re not sure?” I asked.I don’t think so, he said.
Reba remembered the events of the disaster, tears welling up in her eyes.
“Narvel was calling from room to room while holding a phone,” she started, stopping when tears welled up in her eyes. “I apologize, but even after 20 years, it seems like it never stops hurting,” she remarked. But that chamber is visible to me. Narvel is moving back and forth, as I can see.
It’s been 32 years since the crash. She recently recalled the terrible events of that day by sharing a picture of her band on Instagram.
She shared another homage to her friends in 2020.
“I lost my pals in a plane tragedy 29 years ago today. It seems fitting that Mama passed away on that anniversary,” she writes.
“I am aware that they are all in Heaven together, looking out for one another. Let’s continue to look out for one another while we’re still on this planet and never take a moment for granted to spend with our loved ones.
Soon after, Reba’s admirers rallied behind the country music icon.
Many folks sent prayers and good vibes.
“Reba I’ve always admired your music, our mutual love of horses, and now that I follow you on Instagram. A admirer added, “Prayers for you and your mother 🙏🏻.”
Reba showed once more this year, in 2023, that she still grieves the terrible loss of her pals and that she will never forget them.
She said and shared, “Their passion for music and the stage gives us all the strength to go on.”a video featuring the ensemble as a whole.
I apologize, Reba. You are an amazing woman; stay strong. You make so many people happy that there is a reason God has preserved you on this planet. Keep grinning!
