Reba McEntire Almost Quit Making Music After Loss Of Her Mother

“I told Susie that I don’t have a want to, because mama was my want to.”

The loss of a family member can lead to life-changing decisions for anyone and Reba McEntire is no exception. In a recent interview, Reba revealed that when she lost her mother, the country music world almost lost one of its biggest stars.

In a recent interview with ET Canada, the Grammy-winning singer revealed that she considered leaving the music industry entirely after the death of her mother, Jacqueline McEntire, in March 2020.

After the loss of her mother, Reba was back at the family home and she had her revelation while she and her sister Susie were going through their parents’ house together “straightening everything out and cleaning it out and separating things.”

As she went through the house, Reba told ET that felt like she had lost her drive for a music career. “I told Susie that I don’t have a want to, because mama was my want to,” she says in the interview. “I did the recording contract. Mama was living her dreams through me. So when she left, I was like, ‘Why am I doing this?'”

Luckily for her fans, though, it was only a passing thought for the three-time Grammy winner. “I realized I’m still doing it because I love it. And it’s my God given gift that I cherish,” Reba explained. “I absolutely love to get to sing songs to make people feel something, whether it’s sad, happy, whatever it is. And so that’s the gift she gave me and Susie and [my brother] Pake. And so you got to keep on going.”

The passage of time can make losses feel less painful. A year after losing her mother, Reba paid tribute to her with a music video for her song "You Never Gave Up on Me." The video pays homage to the McEntire family through photographs and video clips spanning Reba's childhood in small-town Oklahoma to the heights of her entertainment career. Now, as Reba prepares for a new chapter as a judge on the next season of The Voice, she is confident that her mother is watching. As she said in the interview, “I feel she’s still with me. I love that.”

Listen to Reba's Episode of Biscuits & Jam

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