The country music icon Reba McEntire went through an unspeakable tragedy back in 1991. In March of that year, eight of McEntire’s bandmates were killed in a devastating plane crash.
In a new interview, McEntire is reflecting on this tragedy nearly 35 years later. She’s also revealing how her fellow country music legend Dolly Parton dropped everything to help her out in the wake of the plane crash.
Parton Helps Out After Tragedy
McEntire, 70, told Garden & Gun that the plane crash occurred right after she performed a concert in San Diego, California. She had been set to take a different flight the next day with her stylist and her then-husband and manager Narvel Blackstock. McEntire was understandably lost after the plane crash. Indeed, the eight victims were not only her bandmates, but also her close friends.
“It was really hard for me to get back onstage,” McEntire recalled. “But Vince Gill called and said, ‘Buddy, I’ll be there for you.’ Dolly Parton said, ‘Here, take my band.'”
“It was such a gift to see how many people stepped forward to help, and to reassure, because so many of us had hearts that were broken,” she continued.
God bless both Parton and Gill for stepping up to help McEntire when she needed it most. Indeed, this just goes to show what high quality people they both are.
McEntire Honors Victims
Back in 2024, on the 33rd anniversary of the crash, McEntire took to Instagram to pay an emotional tribute to the victims. She listed them out by name, writing: Chris Austin, Kirk Cappello, Joey Cigainero, Paula Kaye Evans, Jim Hammon, Terry Jackson, Tony Saputo and Michael Thomas.
Underneath their names, McEntire wrote, “I guess the world ain’t gonna stop… for my broken heart.” This is a quote from her song “For My Broken Heart.” It was released on an album of the same name eight months after the tragedy. It quickly became McEntire’s best-selling of all time.
“33 years today since Heaven gained some great angels,” McEntire added in the caption. “Rest in peace, my friends.”
McEntire previously remembered the moment she learned of the plane crash in a 2022 interview.
“I didn’t know if I was going to be able to continue,” McEntire told People Magazine at the time. “But it showed me how precious life is. And by the grace of God and my faith, I realized that they went on to a better place.”
McEntire went on to say that she “never blamed God” for their deaths. However, she admitted that she also has “questions when I get up there.”
“From that I learned that you need to take it one day at a time and be very grateful for the things that you have,” she stated. “Tell folks in your life how much you love and appreciate them.”
While McEntire has managed to move on with her life and career in the wake of this tragedy, she has never forgotten the friends that she lost on that horrible March day in 1991. God bless Parton for stepping up to help McEntire get back on her feet!