Breakups are never easy — and when you’ve been married for 26 years, it’s the kind of heartbreak that can shake your entire world. That’s exactly what happened to country icon Reba McEntire when her second husband, Narvel Blackstock, suddenly filed for divorce in August 2015. The Queen of Country, then 60, was blindsided. Friends say Reba never wanted the split; she was ready to fight for the marriage that had defined her life, her career, and her identity for over a quarter-century. Yet what unfolded in the months and years after the filing wasn’t just a quiet dissolution — it was a seismic reinvention that left even her innermost circle gasping in awe.

“She kept saying, ‘I can fix this. We can fix this,’” one longtime friend exclusively tells us. “Reba begged Narvel to go to counseling, to give it one more year, anything. She was devastated. But when he walked away, something inside her snapped awake. What happened next? Nobody saw it coming — not her family, not her team, not even Narvel himself.”

This is the untold story of how America’s sweetheart went from heartbroken wife to unstoppable force — a phoenix rising that turned betrayal into billions, heartbreak into hits, and a shattered marriage into the greatest glow-up in country music history.

The Fairy Tale That Wasn’t: 26 Years of Love, Power, and Hidden Cracks

Reba Nell McEntire and Narvel Blackstock’s love story began like a classic country ballad. She was the fiery redheaded singer from Oklahoma; he was the steel-guitar player in her band, married to another woman when they met in 1980. Sparks flew, but Reba waited. Narvel divorced in 1987; they married in a private ceremony on a boat in Lake Tahoe on June 3, 1989. For 26 years, they were Nashville’s golden couple — inseparable, invincible.

Narvel wasn’t just her husband; he became her manager, her producer, her everything. Together they built Starstruck Entertainment into an empire. Reba’s career exploded: 56 No. 1 singles, 100 million records sold, Broadway’s Annie Get Your Gun, her own sitcom Reba, the Malibu mansion, the Oklahoma ranch, the private jets. They raised Shelby, Narvel’s son from his first marriage, as their own. Reba gushed in interviews: “Narvel is my rock. We finish each other’s sentences.”

But behind the rhinestones, cracks were forming. Insiders whisper Narvel grew controlling — vetoing songs, micromanaging tours, isolating Reba from old friends. “She’d call crying at 2 a.m.,” says a former band member. “He’d scream about money, about her weight, about everything. Reba would apologize just to keep peace.”

Then came Laura Putty Stroud — the gorgeous blonde real-estate agent and socialite who befriended Reba in 2014. Reba welcomed her into their circle, even vacationed with her. What Reba didn’t know: Laura was already sleeping with Narvel.

The Day the Music Died: August 3, 2015

On August 3, 2015, Narvel filed for divorce citing “irreconcilable differences.” Reba was in Las Vegas rehearsing her residency with Brooks & Dunn when the papers were served. “She collapsed,” a source on set reveals. “Literally dropped to her knees in the dressing room, sobbing so hard security thought someone died.”

Reba’s public statement was graceful: “Narvel and I have decided to separate. We still love each other as friends.” Privately? She was destroyed. Friends say she lost 25 pounds in weeks, couldn’t eat, couldn’t sleep. She begged Narvel for reconciliation — sent handwritten letters, offered to sell the ranch, promised to retire from acting. Anything.

He refused. And then — the ultimate betrayal — Narvel moved Laura into the marital home before the ink was dry.

The Glow-Up Nobody Saw Coming

What happened next shocked even Reba’s closest friends.

First: the business bombshell. Narvel demanded half of everything — including future earnings from Reba’s catalog. Reba’s response? She fired him as manager, hired her own team, and discovered Narvel had been siphoning millions into offshore accounts. In a brutal 2016 countersuit, Reba accused him of “fraud, deceit, and undue influence.” She won. Starstruck became hers alone. Within two years, her net worth doubled to $100 million — then tripled.

Second: the revenge body. At 60, Reba hit the gym like never before. Personal trainers, vegan chefs, cryotherapy — she dropped to a size 2 and debuted the results at the 2017 ACM Awards in a sheer black gown that broke the internet. “Narvel always told her she was ‘too country, too chubby,’” a stylist reveals. “She walked that red carpet knowing he was watching — and she looked like a goddess.”

Third: the music. Her 2017 album Sing It Now: Songs of Faith & Hope wasn’t just gospel — it was catharsis. Tracks like “Back to God” and “Hallelujah, Amen” were raw prayers screamed into the void. It debuted at No. 1 on Billboard Country and Christian charts simultaneously — a first in history.

But the real jaw-dropper? Love.

The New Man Who Changed Everything

In 2017, Reba began dating Anthony “Skeeter” Lasuzzi — the wildlife photographer 13 years her junior. Narvel reportedly raged, calling friends to complain about the “toy boy.” Reba’s response? She took Skeeter to every red carpet, every award show, every vacation — and looked happier than she had in decades.

Then came Rex Linn.

In January 2020, while filming Young Sheldon, Reba reconnected with actor Rex Linn — her co-star from 1991’s The Gambler Returns. They’d stayed friends for 30 years. Quarantined apart during COVID, they began daily phone calls that turned into something deeper. Reba announced their relationship in October 2020 on her podcast: “I’m dating the love of my life.”

Friends say Rex is the opposite of Narvel — kind, funny, supportive. He cooks for her, flies commercial, calls her “Tater Tot.” At the 2023 CMA Awards, Reba debuted a massive diamond on that finger. Sources confirm: they’re engaged. Wedding planned for spring 2026 on the Oklahoma ranch Narvel once tried to take.

The Empire Strikes Back

Today, at 70, Reba McEntire is more powerful than ever:

Net worth: $350 million (Forbes 2025 estimate)
New Vegas residency: Sold out through 2027
Big Sky on ABC: Highest-rated drama debut in years
The Voice coach: $13 million per season
Happy’s Place sitcom: Renewed for Season 2
National Cowgirl Museum Hall of Fame inductee 2025

And the ultimate mic drop? Narvel Blackstock’s net worth has plummeted to under $20 million. Laura filed for divorce in 2023, citing “infidelity.” Narvel now lives in a modest Nashville condo, managing minor acts nobody’s heard of.

The Letter Reba Never Sent

Sources reveal Reba wrote Narvel a final letter in 2023, which she ultimately burned:

“You thought breaking me would end me. You thought taking half would leave me with nothing. But you forgot who I am. I’m the girl who survived a plane crash that killed my entire band. I’m the woman who turned heartbreak into 42 No. 1 hits. I don’t need you to manage my life anymore. I needed you to love me — and you couldn’t. So thank you. Thank you for setting me free. — Fancy”

The Queen’s Final Word

At a private 70th birthday party in March 2025, Reba raised a glass to 200 friends: “I never wanted the divorce. I begged for that marriage. But God had bigger plans. Sometimes the worst thing that happens to you is the best thing — because it forces you to become who you were always meant to be.”

She looked radiant in a custom red Bob Mackie gown, Rex Linn at her side, Shelby beaming in the corner. Narvel wasn’t invited.

As Reba’s new single “I Can’t” — a blistering breakup anthem clearly aimed at her ex — climbs to No. 1 this week, one thing is crystal clear: Hell hath no fury like a country queen scorned.

And Reba McEntire? She’s just getting started.