Reba McEntire turned 68 on March 2023. The singer went through a rocky period due to a difficult divorce, losing a lot of money, and experiencing the death of her mother.
The divorce left Reba heartbroken, but she found happiness again in the form of a new love when she was not even looking.
Today, the mother of one lives with the man she loves, and the two have a splendid relationship that entails praying together in her beautiful home.
Reba McEntire is a beloved country queen music singer whose songs have won the hearts of many. The superstar released songs such as “You Lie” and “Little Rock.” She is also an American actress who starred in the 1995 TV Mini-Series “Buffalo Girls.”
The actress was born on March 28, 1955, in Chockie, Oklahoma. She is the third of four children had by her parents, Jacqueline Smith and Clark McEntire. Reba’s hit album “My Kind of Country” made her a famous star; up to now, her music has sold more than 46 million records.
Reba has announced that she will be Blake Shelton’s replacement as a “The Voice” coach for the upcoming season.
Fans were sad to see Shelton exit the show after 23 seasons, but Reba’s entry has been a welcome replacement among steadfast fans of the show.
Reba was on the previous season of “The Voice” as a mega mentor, but in the upcoming season she will be taking a permanent seat in the famous red rotating chairs.
The actress and singer shared the news at the NBC Upfronts. She performed her song “Fancy” and shared the exciting news about her being on the show.
Reba has been on the show a few times before. She first appeared in 2011 for season one, where she was a battle advisor to Shelton.
She also mentioned that she had been asked to be a coach during the first three seasons of the show, but she turned it down. Her spot on the show later went to Shelton.
Talking about why she had decided that she did not want to be on the show during the first couple of seasons, she confessed:
“It was a very popular show in Holland, I’m pretty sure, and I watched the tape, and I said, ‘No, I’m going to pass on that,’ because I don’t think I could ever be able to tell somebody that they’re terrible or go find another job or hope you like your nighttime job. I couldn’t do that day in and day out. I just couldn’t do it. So I did pass on it.”
However, she quickly came to realize that she may have made the wrong decision. She admitted that when she saw how successful the show was and saw that there were so many seasons, she knew she should have done the show.
While the actress and singer has had some career regrets throughout the years, she has also experienced difficult times in her love life.
Reba and her second husband, Narvel Blackstock, were only close friends initially, as they met when they were both in a relationship. The “Does He Love You” singer was married to her first husband, Charlie Battles, for 11 years.
The actress and Charlie met when Reba was pursuing her rodeo dreams. Reba’s sister Alice Foran McEntire said her sister rode the rodeo and loved horses that would move considerably fast. Charlie was her favorite cowboy.
Reba and Charlie walked down the aisle in 1976. Charlie, a steer wrestling champion, was 31 and Reba 21 when they married. Reba admitted to loving Charlie as much as they later got a divorce in 1987:
“I loved Charlie with all my heart, I wanted to marry him …We had a lot of fun. We rodeoed together, we ranched together. I guess I chose my career over my marriage.”
The award-winning singer met Narvel while in the entertainment industry. The duo had a professional relationship before they became romantically involved. Reba was developing her career as a country music singer when Narvel joined her band in 1980.
Narvel was married to Elisa Gayle Ritter, his first wife; the two had their wedding in 1973. However, he also split up with his partner in 1987. Shortly after Reba and Narvel had broken up with their respective partners, the actress made Narvel her manager.
On June 3, 1989, Reba and Narvel eventually got married. Narvel, who was raised in Texas, later became her tour manager and guitar player. In 1990, the duo had their only child together, a son named Shelby McEntire Blackstock.
Reba and Narvel’s love story lasted for 26 years, but the Texas-bred singer shocked his wife when he asked for a divorce. Over the 26 years they were married, the duo would light up the red carpet together.
The country music singer and her ex-husband would also work on new Hollywood projects together. Reba would share on her social media accounts the fantastic moments they spent together as a family.
Reba, a truly happy woman, has even considered marrying Rex as much as after her divorce from Narvel; she had stopped thinking about the idea of love.
The “Reba” sitcom star was surprised and heartbroken when Narvel asked for a divorce in 2015. Reba said that as much as she felt their marriage was coming to an end, she did not want to go through with the divorce:
“The divorce was not my choice. I did not want it at all. So, it was left up to me to be like. Okay, kid, how are you going to handle this?”
The 68-year-old admitted the divorce was hard as it meant that four people who were taking care of her business had left her:
“I had my production manager who left, I had my CEO who left, my manager and husband, and my father had died. So four men who were rock and pillars of my world were gone.”
The “I’m a Survivor” singer was also publicly humiliated after the divorce when it became public knowledge that Narvel had moved on with one of her closest friends.
The Emmy award winner admitted that the change brought by the divorce was too huge for her as she had to learn to do everything by herself. She said dealing with both the business and personal sides of her life was tough.
The country star said she also noted how much everything in her house cost, including water and electricity bills. She added that it was only she who now had to make money and bring it home, including signing checks. However, Reba said her faith saved her:
“Everything that I was dealing with privately, personally, I had to run it all through God. I had to say, okay big boy, I can’t handle this. This is way over my pay grade. I don’t know what to do. And I would wait, and He would guide me. And so without my faith, I have no idea where I would be or my career would be, at this time today.”
One of Reba’s friends confided to Closer Weekly that the actress felt sorry for herself when she was informed of the divorce. She added that Reba grieved the loss of her marriage but only for a short time:
“Narvel was her protector, her business partner and manager, and it was really tough on her. She had no idea it was coming. She felt sorry for herself for about a month, but then she snapped out of it. They don’t really talk.”
The divorce was not only hard for Reba to handle due to the heartbreak, but she also lost a lot of money in the settlement. The ex-couple divorce settlement cost $47.5 million, which is half of Reba’s net worth. Her net worth is $95 million.
The insider friend also said Reba rebuilt herself and created a flourishing personal life and prestigious career. She added that the mother of one started again from scratch to rebuild her music career, find new love, and get a circle of people who make her feel good:
“Reba really learned that she can stand on her two feet, that she doesn’t and never really did need a man to take care of her.”
Reba has rebuilt herself, and she even has no problem offering support to Narvel’s son with Elisa, Brandon Blackstock. Brandon was married to Kelly Clarkson, but the two divorced in 2021. The actress commented about the divorce and said she loved and supported them both:
“You know, I love them both…I am pulling for both of them. I hope they are happy and healthy and pull through this. I hope everybody gives them the encouragement they can because they need it.”
Reba encountered another life tragedy when her mother, Jacqueline, died in the middle of the pandemic on March 14, 2020. The three-time Grammy award winner said that when her mother got sick, she went to visit her in Oklahoma, but unfortunately, she died.
The vocal performer told Today that her mother was a great part of her life as she taught her the love of singing. Reba said that together with her mom, they would sing in the car:
“When traveling in the car with my father, my mom would get us to sing to get us out of trouble. We did not have radio in the car and were just trying to entertain ourselves. That’s when we named ourselves the Singing McEntire’s”
After her mother’s death, Reba wrote a touching tribute to her on her Instagram. She mourned the loss of her mother to cancer and said that Jacqueline was ready to go as she had lived a wonderful, full, and healthy life:
“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 was ready to see our Daddy, her Mama and Daddy and all her family and friends.”
The actress shared several fun times she had with her mother on her social media page. The two would play cards, and Jacqueline would never let her win. Reba loved her mother so much that she referred to Jacqueline as her number-one girlfriend. She added that her mother knew how much she was loved:
“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 care-givers with their huge hearts, and the time God gave us with Mama.”
Reba was thankful to her long-time friend, American actor Rex Linn, for supporting her when her mother died. The actress said that as much as Rex was in Oklahoma when Jacqueline died, the two would Zoom and FaceTime. Reba found love in Rex, and the two are now a couple.
Reba was not interested in finding love again after her divorce from Narvel. However, she is happy that Rex came into her life as she said he is “the love of my life” and that they are “pretty much inseparable.
The award-winning singer said she met Rex in 1991 when they were both acting in Kenny Roger’s movie “The Gamber Returns: The Luck of the Draw.” She added that the two kept in touch and reconnected in 2020:
“We kept in contact over the years, we both know the same people. So it was just like good friends getting back together and having dinner … then we started texting and talking on the telephone and getting to know each other better during the quarantine.”
The country star remembered fondly how the two would have scheduled coffee dates, which they called “Coffee Camp,” to keep in touch. Reba said that it felt nice knowing Rex without any physical aspect to it:
“It was a very special relationship, us getting to know each other without any physical aspect to it at all. We’d talk in the morning; we started Coffee Camp while I was staying in Oklahoma… We haven’t missed a Coffee Camp since March 16.”
Rex would send Reba delicious treats such as McConnell’s ice cream, pecan pie, and lobster rolls to connect with her. During their friendship, the duo supported each other in tough times, such as when Rex lost his mother in 1998. Reba called Rex when he had just buried his mother and said to him that she understood what he was going through and just wanted to support him.
Rex recalled that he also called Reba when her mother was diagnosed with cancer and told her that she was free to contact him anytime she wanted:
“It was amazing and it was uplifting. It was really special and little did I know 20 years later, 21 years later, I’d be doing the same thing with her… But I never forgot that. And that’s why I said to you, If you ever want to talk, just give me a call.”
Reba revealed on her podcast “Living & Learning with Reba McEntire” that her first date in a long time was in January 2020 when she went out with Rex:
“I am dating a very very sweet heart of God, Rex Linn and we have been talking during the pandemic, we had dinner with Rex in January, and then in February, in the middle of the pandemic, we were talking, texting, Facetime. And that’s a really good way to get to know people.”
The “Turn On The Radio” singer said having a person to talk to and laugh with was good. She recalled that the two would discuss their families and share funny stories:
“Him being and actor and me being an actress. And he is very into my music and I am very into his career. It is just great to talk to somebody who I find very interesting, very funny, very smart and is interested in me too.”
The “Fancy” singer described herself as a “giddy teenager again” now that she was in love with Rex. The actress’s love showed in the love names she has given Rex, whom she calls “My Sugar Tot.” She added that their love is her muse:
“I’m in love, so that really inspires me to find love songs, to find happy songs. I’ve always been the queen of waltzes, the queen of sad songs, because I just gravitate to those kinds of songs.”
The actress described Rex as a supportive partner, saying that she helped her a lot with her lines when they were both working on the movie “Reba McEntire’s The Hammer.” This was not their first time on set together, but Reba said that in 1991 the two were just friends:
“I love working with Rex, he is a great actor…I have learned a lot from him. Back in 1991, we were only friends…But timing is everything, and everything happens for a reason.”
Reba, a truly happy woman, has even considered marrying Rex as much as after her divorce from Narvel, she had stopped thinking about the idea of love. She confessed that she and Rex had spoken about getting married:
“We’ve talked about it and giggled about it. We thought Man, if we ever did have a ceremony, we would have to have a 2 o’clock, 4 o’clock, 6 o’clock and an 8 o’clock because we have so many friends, acquaintances and family.”
The country singer considered her relationship with Rex special as she revealed she had waited for her entire life for a man she could pray with:
“I’ve waited 66 years for a man to pray with and to share a faith and love of the Lord and to be compassionate and have a compassionate heart. That’s very special.”
Today, as Reba is 68, she said she is happy and is living with her boyfriend Rex in her house. She admitted that she is now a better partner, more considerate, and a person who spends more time with their loved one
Reba shared the story of her first date with Rex. She mentioned that they reunited on the set of “Young Sheldon,” a “Big Bang Theory” spinoff show.
The pair had last seen one another professionally in 1991’s “The Gambler Returns: The Luck of the Draw.” Initially, the couple reunited only as friends, but it wasn’t long before their connection turned romantic.
The couple remained in contact throughout the years, but they had never explored anything beyond a friendship together. Yet when they were on “Young Sheldon” they finally came together.
Reba said Rex had texted her to ask if she was going to be in town at the same time as him. When she confirmed she would be, he asked if she would like to go dinner.
The actress then said they had dinner and continued their night at a wine bar, where they found there were great appetizers.
Talking about what appetizers she enthusiatically ordered, Reba confirmed they were tater tots. This sweet moment prompted Rex to choose a nickname or her, musing:
“That’s your nickname from here on out – Tater Tot.”
Now, Reba calls Rex “Sugar Tot.” Reba explained that the couple had been together ever since they decided to call each other those nicknames.
Fans love the pair’s relationship and often comment on the Instagram posts Reba makes. Fans share their thoughts in the comments section of the posts, saying how adorable the couple is.
The actress said that Rex and she are having more fun now than they did when they first got together. She added that they spend time watching football, as she is now a recruited fan.