Get those tissues ready. Country legend Reba McEntire took time out on the latest episode of “The Voice” to pay tribute to someone who wouldn’t be celebrating with her this season: her late mother.
Fans of the singing competition show were treated to a performance from one of the high-profile coaches on Dec. 5 as McEntire belted out her emotional ballad “Seven Minutes in Heaven,” dedicated to Jacqueline “Jackie” McEntire.
McEntire’s mom died in 2020 at the age of 93 following a battle with cancer, and clearly Reba still has strong feelings for the woman who raised her. The song, written by Olivia Rudeen and Matt Wynn, was released this year as a single from her latest album (“Not That Fancy”), and in it she imagines taking a short visit to heaven. Once there, Reba passes up conversation with Johnny Cash and Elvis Presley serenades so that she can share a last drink with her mom.
It’s a heartwarming musical portrait of love, with lyrics like: “How’s the fishing up there/ Have you been getting our prayers/ We’ve been sending them every night.” By the end of the performance Reba’s voice is strained with emotion, but she keeps it together as a photo of her mother appears at the back of the stage.
“Oh, I miss you, mama,” she said at the end.
You can watch her moving tribute on the show’s official YouTube page:
If it wasn’t obvious already, family is a big deal to the three-time Grammy winner and coach on “The Voice.” Her father Clark McEntire was a National Rodeo Hall of Famer, and after he died in 2014 Reba recorded “Just Like Them Horses,” written by Liz Hengber and Tommy Lee James, because it reminded her of him. Mom Jackie was actually in the 2015 video for the song.
McEntire gave a shout out to fans on Instagram a few weeks back when “Seven Minutes in Heaven” began to strike a chord with fans grieving for their own lost loved ones.
“I’ve been so touched seeing all the videos y’all have been making using ‘Seven Minutes in Heaven’ in dedication to your loved ones,” she wrote. “I dedicated this song to my Mama. She took a trip to heaven in 2020 and I’d give anything to visit her up there for seven minutes.“
