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.
However, Reba has also had her fair share of personal traumas, so life has not always been easy for her, even with her amazing profession and wealth.
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.
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Reba is well aware of the suffering associated with loss and grief.
Thirty-two years ago on March 16, she lost her tour manager in a horrific plane crash after a concert, along with seven other band members.
I recall that 1991 day. I heard about the crash on the radio as I was heading to work. I felt my heart skip a beat, thinking that Reba was on the plane too.
She wasn’t, though.
After playing in San Diego on March 16, 1991, Reba and her band were on their way to Fort Wayne, Indiana, for their next tour stop.
At the airport in San Diego, two flights were waiting; Reba, her husband, and manager spent the night in San Diego, while the band members and tour manager traveled on ahead.
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 an emotional 2012 interview with Oprah Winfrey.
“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 will never stop 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 together in Heaven, 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.May God bless you and your mother. A fan wrote.
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 posted a video of the group performing together along with the message, “Their love for music and the stage gives us all the strength to go on.”
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!
My Blood Ran Cold When I Opened My Husband’s Drawer the Day After Moving In
Freya was excited to start her new life as a newlywed and moved into her husband George’s family estate. However, a warning from Valerie, the maid, about George’s secret life quickly shattered their vows.
Brimming with post-wedding joy, I moved into my husband’s enchanting family home, complete with high ceilings, arches, fountains, and flowers everywhere.
George had wanted me to settle in before we left for our honeymoon in the South of France.
Yet, things weren’t as perfect as they seemed. From the start, the maid, Valerie, gave me looks that seemed to say, “You don’t belong here.” I tried to shake it off, determined to stay. Valerie would have to get used to it.
A few days into moving in, I decided to make breakfast for my new family. The house was massive, and George’s younger siblings still lived at home, so I prepared a large meal.
Valerie watched me closely in the kitchen, making me nervous. When I reached for my phone to look up egg recipes, it was missing.
“Have you seen my phone?” I asked Valerie, certain it had been on the table in front of her.
Valerie barely glanced at me and shook her head.
“I’d hurry up with the breakfast if I were you,” she said coldly. “The family expects it on the table before they come downstairs.”
Taking her advice, I finished the breakfast as Valerie left the kitchen.
I eventually found my phone on the seat Valerie had just vacated. The message on the screen turned my world upside down:
Check your husband’s drawer. The top left one, specifically. Then RUN!
My heart pounding, I made my way to our bedroom, the warning replaying in my mind. Valerie had tidied the room and folded our clothes from the night before.
I hesitated before opening the drawer, dreading what I might find. What secrets was George hiding?
Inside, I found a stack of letters tied with a faded ribbon and an old key. The letters, written by my husband, were to someone named Elena.
I sat on our bed and read through them all — each letter spoke of a love and future he promised to someone else.
With each word, my heart shattered. The last letter was a goodbye, dated just three days before George proposed to me.
And the key?
“Do you know what this key is for?” I asked Ivy, George’s younger sister, when it didn’t fit any locks in our room.
“Oh, I think it’s for the attic,” she said, inspecting the key. “It has to be; that was George’s favorite room. It’s always been so dark and drafty to me. I haven’t been there in years.”
I found my way to the attic. It was just as dark and drafty as Ivy had said.
But when I turned on the light, I was horrified.
The walls were covered in photographs of George and a woman — presumably Elena. Their love was evident in every picture, mocking me and our marriage.
I collapsed into the only armchair in the room, overwhelmed. Then I saw an ultrasound on the wall beneath a photograph of George and Elena dancing in a courtyard.
George and Elena had been expecting a baby. Of course, they had.
How had he hidden this from me for so long?
I examined each photograph, grappling with the reality that George had abandoned Elena and their unborn child.
“Freya?” came a soft voice from the doorway.
“Valerie,” I said, suddenly cautious.
“You weren’t supposed to find out this way,” she said sympathetically.
“You knew about this?” I asked, unsure how to react.
She nodded slowly.
“Elena is my sister. She thought you deserved to know the truth. She gave me the letters, and I put them in George’s drawer this morning.”
“And the baby?” I asked, my voice trembling.
Valerie leaned against the wall and explained. When the family was planning their Christmas party two years ago, Valerie had asked Elena to help with the cleaning.
“They immediately hit it off and fell in love. But when Elena found out she was pregnant and that the baby had Down syndrome, George didn’t want to be involved.”
Valerie explained that George had wanted to marry Elena out of love, but when he learned about the baby’s condition, he saw them as a burden.
“He promised to fight for her with his family, but everything changed.”
We then went to the living room where the family was gathered — George was absent. I told his parents about the letters and the attic full of photographs.
Valerie revealed everything about Elena and her baby.
When we finished, George walked in, clearly having overheard the conversation.
“Is this true?” his father demanded.
George’s silence was a damning admission.
His family quickly disowned him. George was cut off, and his inheritance was redirected to support Elena and her unborn child.
As for me?
I was granted a swift divorce — George didn’t even contest it, broken by the loss of his wealth. My ex-in-laws gave me a fresh start with assets initially meant for George.
I sold some of the assets and founded an organization to support children with disabilities, ensuring Elena’s baby was well cared for. Valerie manages the foundation with input from me and George’s mother, who cut ties with her son the moment she learned about the baby.
What would you have done if you were in my shoes?
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