More than three decades have passed, but for Reba McEntire, the pain of March 16, 1991 still lingers like it happened yesterday.
That night, after a performance in San Diego, California, a private jet carrying members of Reba’s band and crew crashed into the side of Otay Mountain, just minutes after takeoff. All eight passengers on board were killed, including her trusted tour manager and some of her closest musical collaborators — people she referred to not just as her team, but as family.
In countless interviews since, Reba has never shied away from speaking about that devastating loss. Her voice often cracks when she recalls the moment she received the news. “I lost my family that night,” she once said through tears. “They were some of the best people I ever had the honor of working with.”
Reba herself was not on the plane. She had remained behind with her then-husband and manager, Narvel Blackstock, due to illness. The second plane, scheduled to leave later, was canceled. In a cruel twist of fate, her absence spared her life — but not her heart.
For years, Reba would light a candle on the anniversary and privately honor their memory. She also dedicated her 1991 album, “For My Broken Heart,” to those who perished — an album that became one of her most emotional and personal records to date. Every note was sung through grief, every lyric echoing with the weight of what was lost.
“I had to go on,” she said. “But part of me stayed with them.”
Fans across the world still send her letters each year, reminding her she’s not alone in remembering. That one night in 1991 changed everything — not just for Reba, but for anyone who’s ever known the pain of sudden, senseless loss.
To this day, Reba carries their memory — in her music, in her prayers, and in the quiet spaces before the curtain rises.
Because some heartbreaks never leave… they simply live beside us.
