'She was why I wanted to do it!' Reba McEntire almost quit music after her mother died

Reba McEntire nearly quit music after the death of her mother.

The 68-year-old country music star had enjoyed decades of success with hits like 'Can't Even Get the Blues' and 'The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia' but when her mother Jacqueline died at the age of 93 following a battle with cancer, she briefly considered giving everything up because she was her motivation to do it in the first place.

She told ETCanada: "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. I told Susie that I don’t have a want to, because mama was my want to. I did the recording contract. Mama was living her dreams through me. So when she left, I was like, ‘Why am I doing this?'"

However, the 'Consider Me Gone' songstress went on to add that she quickly realised that singing is the "gift" her mother gave to her and vowed to carry on whether the music be happy or sad.

She added: " I realized I’m still doing it because I love it. And it’s my God given gift that I cherish. 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."

When Reba announced the news of her mother's passing in March 2020, she explained how she and her family were "giving God the credit" for choosing her mother to "go home."

She tweeted: "Our Mother, Jacqueline McEntire, made that wonderful cross over into Heaven today. She had a wonderful, full, healthy life and was absolutely ready to go. The cancer might think it won the battle but we’re giving God all the credit on selecting the time for her to go home to Him..

"She was ready to see our Daddy, her mama and daddy and all her family and friends. Down here, Alice, Pake, Susie and I, grandkids and great grandkids all got to visit with her either in person or over the phone."