On August 9, Reba McEntire celebrated National Book Lovers Day with a heartwarming photo of her mother, Jacqueline Smith, reading a book, as they both relaxed on a rock in the sunny weather. Reba had her head on Jacqueline’s lap and crossed her feet while gazing into the distance.
The 69-year-old gushed about her mother’s love for books, noting that she has a special library of her collection in Atoka, Oklahoma. “Today is #NationalBookLoversDay and I couldn’t think of a better day to celebrate my Mama!…You can read stories about her, my family and so much more, all in my book #NotThatFancy!” Reba wrote.
Reba credits Jacqueline for her career
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Reba has her mother to thank for her music career because she supported her from a young age. She recalled being a part of The Singing McEntires back in junior high school, as Jacqueline lived her dream of becoming a country singer through Reba and her siblings.
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She admitted to zoning out of singing often as a young girl, but Jacqueline took care to set her back on track each time until she followed through with her passion. Reba also rode on the waves of her mother’s support by attempting to act, and her six-season sitcom Reba was a success.
Tribute to Jacqueline
Jacqueline died in 2020 at the age of 93, after a battle with cancer. This rocked Reba so badly that she nearly quit music since her mother was the only motivation she knew. Thanks to her sister’s support, Reba got back in the studio and even did a tribute music video for “You Never Gave Up on Me,” plus a performance of “Seven Minutes In Heaven” on The Voice.
Reba has managed to work through her grief but confessed that she still gets triggered when Jacqueline comes up in photos, videos, or in her thoughts. The mother of one admitted she immediately goes mute whenever memories of Jacqueline come up.