Born in southern Oklahoma, Reba McEntire grew up in the little town of Chockie before becoming a well-known country music artist. Raised in a family of ranchers and rodeo competitors, Reba McEntire, the middle child among four siblings, often fought for her father’s affection, which he never showed them. Her sister said their father was a rough-and-tumble cowboy who freely shared his opinions and was nasty by today’s standards.

McEntire was proficient at basketball and barrel racing, even though her father didn’t think much of her pastimes. However, she acknowledged that singing was her real gift, which she realized at the age of five. In addition, McEntire, 68, spent 26 years as the wife of TV producer Narvel Blackstock, with whom she had a race car driver son named Shelby Blackstock. Narvel’s divorce request and his new friendship with one of McEntire’s friends shocked and devastated her.

McEntire did, however, rediscover love with actor Rex Linn. McEntire reconnected with Linn in 2020 after first being uninterested in dating after their divorce. While collaborating on “The Gambler Returns: The Luck of the Draw,” they initially crossed paths in 1991. After Linn invited her to supper, their romance took off, and they haven’t been apart since. McEntire expressed her joy and referred to Linn as the “love of [her] life,” valuing the tiny, tender acts that characterize their bond.