Reba McEntire is undeniably one of country music’s brightest stars — a talented singer, actress, and producer with a career spanning decades. But despite her success, the Oklahoma-born icon has faced profound personal challenges, including heartbreak and loss.
In 2015, after 26 years of marriage, Reba and her husband, Narvel Blackstock, divorced. Five years later, she shared candid reflections about what went wrong in her relationship with the man who had been both her life partner and her manager.
A life of success and heartbreak
Reba rose to fame in the late 1970s and early 1980s, earning multiple Country Music Association awards and eventually a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Yet her personal life has not always mirrored her professional success. In 2014, her father, Clark McEntire — a three-time World Champion steer roper and a lifelong influence on her music — passed away. She honored him with the song “Just Like Them Horses,” which she performed at his funeral. A few years later, Reba lost her mother, Jacqueline, to cancer in 2020 at age 93, prompting her to lean heavily on her faith to navigate her grief.
Marriage and divorce
Reba met Blackstock in 1989 when he played in her band, and their romance quickly blossomed into marriage. Together, they had a son, Shelby, and built a successful business managing her career. Despite this, Reba admitted in interviews that the marriage deteriorated over time. “Things started going south with my marriage… Narvel, my manager and husband at the time — we got a divorce,” she explained. The breakup was compounded by the loss of other pillars in her life, including her father and key members of her business team.
Faith remained her anchor during this challenging period. “I had to run it all through God… He would guide me. Without my faith, I have no idea where I’d be,” she said.
Finding love again
After a period of rebuilding, Reba began dating Anthony “Skeeter” Lasuzzo, though the relationship eventually ended. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she started seeing actor Rex Linn. “We’ve been talking, laughing, and sharing stories — he’s very into my music, and I’m very into his career,” she said. Reba describes their relationship as stable and looks forward to the future with optimism.
