Reba McEntire is honoring her late mother, Jacqueline, one year after her passing. The country superstar’s mother passed away on March 14, 2020 after a battle with cancer, though the superstar credits the Lord with when her mother was called home.
“Our Mother, Jacqueline McEntire, made that wonderful cross over into Heaven today,” she wrote in a tribute at the time. “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.”
Reba and her family had to wait several months to honor Jacqueline in person as her passing came just days after the country began shutting down due to coronavirus. But on the one year anniversary, Reba is honoring her mother in another way… with a song called “You Never Gave Up On Me” from her album Stronger Than The Truth.
“First time me and mama came to Nashville, she told me, she said ‘Reba, I couldn’t do this, so I’m living my life and my dreams through you. This is for me and mama and we thank you,” the icon says in an old black and white clip while accepting a CMA Award.
“You never gave up on me / No, you never gave up on me / I’m here where I was always meant to be / I never gave up ’cause you never gave up on me / You never gave up on me,” she sings in the final chorus, before adding, “Thank you, Mama.”
The video continues with photos and video of the singer and her mother through the years, from childhood up until their last days together.
The entire McEntire family was extremely close, often singing and performing together through the years. They credited their matriarch for teaching them all how to sing. The family also asked that fans wishing to send flowers donate to the Reba McEntire Fund to benefit the Jacqueline McEntire Library Fund instead.