McEntire recently lost her stepson due to cancer
The Voice contestant Aubrey Nicole made her coach, Reba McEntire, cry on the NBC competition series this week. Nicole performed Martina McBride’s “I’m Gonna Love You Through It,” an inspirational and emotional song about a woman’s battle with breast cancer and the unwavering support of her husband. McEntire, who lost her oldest stepson, Brandon Blackstock, to cancer in August, paused before she commented on the performance.
“I do know this song,” she says, trying not to tear up. “I lost my oldest son because he did not win with cancer, so that was a real reminder that life goes on, and we sing songs about it so that we can remember the ones that we love so much and that we lean on at times like this.”
Blackstock died on August 7th at the age of 48 after a private three-year battle with skin cancer. He was the son of Reba’s former ex-husband, Narvel Blackstock, and was married to Kelly Clarkson from 2013 to 2022. The couple had two children together. Blackstock also had two children from a previous marriage.
Blackstock also managed Clarkson, Blake Shelton, and Rascal Flatts before retiring to live on his and Clarkson’s Montana ranch in recent years.
The 70-year-old country star recently announced her engagement to celebrated actor and long-time boyfriend Rex Linn. The couple revealed the news ahead of the Emmys last month in Los Angeles. Linn popped the question to the multi-faceted redhead on Christmas Eve last year, but they kept the news private until then.
McEntire can be seen all over the Peacock network. Besides being a coach on The Voice, her newest sitcom, Happy’s Place, returns next week with back-to-back episodes. On December 3rd, she’ll host and perform at the annual Christmas at Rockefeller for the first time.
