By India McCarty
Reba McEntire recently shared how she leaned on fellow country superstar Dolly Parton following a 1991 plane crash that killed eight members of her band and crew.
“It was really hard for me to get back onstage,” McEntire said of the crash in an interview with Garden & Gun. “But Vince Gill called and said, ‘Buddy, I’ll be there for you.’ Dolly Parton said, ‘Here, take my band.’”
McEntire continued, “It was such a gift to see how many people stepped forward to help, and to reassure, because so many of us had hearts that were broken.”
Seven members of McEntire’s band — Joey Cigainero, Paula Evans, Chris Austin, Kirk Cappello, Terry Jackson, Anthony Saputo and Michael Thomas — and tour manager Jim Hammon died in the crash, as well as pilots Donald Holms and Chris Hollinger.
“At about 1:45 a.m., a few minutes after takeoff, the jet was flying at 3,300 feet when the left wing clipped an outcropping of 3,500-foot Otay Mountain. The collision sent the plane cartwheeling into the rocky peak with a massive explosion,” per Biography.
Related: Reba McEntire Details ‘Worst Thing to Ever Happen in My Life’
The country singer spoke about the crash to PEOPLE in 2022, saying she was unsure if she was going to be able to keep performing.
“I didn’t know if I was going to be able to continue,” McEntire said. “But it showed me how precious life is, and by the grace of God and my faith, I realized that they went on to a better place.”
She said she “never blamed God” for the deaths of her friends and co-workers but added that she does “have questions when I get up there.”
“From that I learned that you need to take it one day at a time and be very grateful for the things that you have,” McEntire continued. “Tell folks in your life how much you love and appreciate them.”
She went on to release the album For My Broken Heart in honor of her deceased friends. It would become the best-selling album of her career.
“The loss of my band and tour manager got channeled into the album For My Broken Heart. With every song, every lyric,” McEntire told VMP.
In March of 2024, the HAPPY’S PLACE star marked the anniversary of her band and crew members’ passing on social media, writing, “33 years today since Heaven gained some great angels. Rest in peace, my friends.”
Decades after this tragic loss, McEntire still remembers the kindness shown to her by her fellow country music peers.
Read Next: Reba McEntire Praises Dolly Parton’s Perseverance: ‘Followed Her Dreams’
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