Reba McEntire has had a storied career in country music that has lasted from the late '70s to the present, but she says the traumatic event of her mother's death almost caused her to call it quits. Her mother, Jacqueline McEntire, passed away on March 14, 2020, and after her passing, McEntire looked at her life from a different perspective and almost left music in the past.
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She dove into the vulnerable topic with ET Canada's Morgan Hoffman on a special titled One-on-One with Reba McEntire.
"We were home after Mama passed and [my sister] Susie and I were working in Mom and Daddy's house, you know, straightening everything out and cleaning it out and separating things," McEntire said of the days following her mother's death.
It was then McEntire realized that the drive to continue pursuing music was gone now that her mother was no longer physically with her.
"I told Susie that I don't have a want to, because mama was my want to," she said of her career. "I did the recording contract. Mama was living her dreams through me. So when she left, I was like, 'Why am I doing this?'"
After more reflection, however, McEntire found her own reasons for continuing music.
"But I realized I'm still doing it because I love it. And it's my God-given gift that I cherish," she said. "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."
McEntire also realized that her mother truly hadn't gone anywhere.
"I feel she's still with me. I love that," she adds.
Although McEntire initially had some hesitation, she returned to music in a big way after her mom's death, releasing several projects within the past few years. She has also been busy on her 'Live in Concert' tour over the last two years.
Of course, McEntire often works in the television realm as well, and she will take on a brand new role as a coach on The Voice beginning next season. She is replacing longtime coach Blake Shelton in the coach's chair.
READ MORE: 'The Voice': Team Blake's Grace West Pays Tribute to Future Coach Reba McEntire
