Reba McEntire has never been this happy. The Country Music Hall of Fame member has a thriving career, both in country music and on TV, with Happy’s Place and The Voice. She is also engaged to be married to actor Rex Linn. McEntire and Linn recently went public engagement, although McEntire now reveals Linn proposed last December.
McEntire was married to Charlie Battles from 1976 to 1987. In 1989, McEntire married Narvel Blackstock, who was also her manager. Their marriage ended in 2015, a divorce McEntire has said she did not want. But now, McEntire is grateful for all the heartache, which ultimately led her to Linn.
“I’ve never been loved by a man like Rex Linn,” McEntire tells People. “Rex is a very tender-hearted man, and I just love him with all my heart. He’s a good guy. Real bashful though.”
McEntire not only lives with Linn, but she also works with him, on Happy’s Place, their hit NBC sitcom.
“Getting to work with Rex, drive to work with Rex and do the show, the rehearsals, drive home, talk about it, rehearse together — that’s what’s really special for me,” McEntire reveals “I’ve not had that before.”
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Reba McEntire Looks Ahead After Turning 70
Reba McEntire is busier than ever. She recently set a new streaming record for her “Trailblazer” collaboration with Lainey Wilson and Miranda Lambert. She is also enjoying her fourth season as a coach on The Voice, teaming up this year with Snoop Dogg, Michael Bublé, and Niall Horan.
“What I love about the three that I’m with, we say our prayer before we go in. Snoop instigated that,” she shares.
McEntire could easily sit back and relax by now, celebrating her many successes. But for McEntire, she has no plans of slowing down, thanks in part to looking at the career of another country music icon, Dolly Parton.
“I don’t know when. It could be in 20 years,” McEntire says when asked about retiring. “I think I’ll know when it’s the time. Dolly and I talked about that an awful lot when she did the Reba show, and I said, ‘Are you going to retire?’ She said, ‘Why would I? What in the world could I do and have as much fun as what I’m doing in this job right now?’ I agree with her a hundred percent. Slow down, maybe, but no plans of retiring.”
McEntire works hard, likely harder than most. But the result is a life, both personally and professionally, which feels like a sweet reward for all of her efforts.
“I think I’m happier now than I’ve ever been in my life,” McEntire reflects. “It’s amazing. It’s wonderful being 70 and getting to do what I get to do at the level I want to do it.”