{"id":19454,"date":"2025-06-22T22:22:47","date_gmt":"2025-06-22T22:22:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new50.info\/?p=19454"},"modified":"2025-06-22T22:22:47","modified_gmt":"2025-06-22T22:22:47","slug":"in-a-tearful-interview-reba-mcentire-opened-up-about-the-devastating-1991-plane-crash-that-claimed-the-lives-of-her-entire-band-and-the-unexpected-angel-who-helped-her-through-it-dolly-parto","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new50.info\/?p=19454","title":{"rendered":"In a tearful interview, Reba McEntire opened up about the devastating 1991 plane crash that claimed the lives of her entire band\u2014and the unexpected angel who helped her through it: Dolly Parton. \u201cShe called and said, \u2018Reba, if you need a band, mine\u2019s yours,\u2019\u201d Reba recalled, voice trembling. That simple act of kindness, offered without hesitation, became a lifeline. \u201cShe was an angel in rhinestones,\u201d Reba said, crediting Dolly\u2019s support with helping her find the strength to keep going."},"content":{"rendered":"<h1>Reba McEntire Emotionally Recalls How Dolly Parton Helped Her After Losing Entire Band In 1991 Plane Crash<\/h1>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"attachment-single-post-featured\" src=\"https:\/\/classiccountrymusic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Reba-and-Dolly--735x413.png\" alt=\"Dolly Parton with Reba McEntire.\" data-perfmatters-preload=\"\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"photo-credit\">LEFT: Reba McEntire shed tears remembering her lost band. (ACM \/ YouTube) RIGHT: The 60th Anniversary of the Grand Ole Opry. (Photo by CBS via Getty Images)<\/p>\n<div class=\"responsive-images responsive-videos\">\n<h2>Reba McEntire Shared A Story Of Dolly Parton\u2019s Extreme Kindness<\/h2>\n<p class=\"p1\">If you\u2019ve been a devoted country music fan for a while, you\u2019ve likely heard the heartbreaking story of how\u00a0Reba McEntire\u00a0lost all her band members in a tragic plane crash.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">On March 16, 1991, at 2 AM, Reba received a call in her hotel room with the devastating news that she had lost her entire band along with her tour manager. They were departing from one of her recent shows in San Diego, where they had just performed for a group of IBM executives, and were heading to Fort Wayne, Indiana.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Tragically, those who lost their lives that day included:<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Jim Hammon (tour manager), Kirk Cappello (keyboardist), Joey Cigainero (keyboardist), Tony Saputo (drummer), Michael Thomas (guitarists), Chris Austin (guitarists), Terry Jackson (bassist), Paula Kaye Evans (backup singer), Donald Holmes (pilot), and Christopher Hollinger (pilot).<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Reba was supposed to be on the plane, but decided at the last minute to remain in San Diego because she was feeling a bit unwell.<\/p>\n<div class=\"code-block code-block-6\"><\/div>\n<p class=\"p1\">Her husband at the time, Narvel Blackstock, and her stylist, Sandy Spika, stayed with her while the rest of her crew took two separate planes, one of which crashed.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Reba was awarded the Top Female Vocalist at the ACM Awards that year and dedicated her win to her lost bandmates shortly after the crash. You can watch her heartfelt speech below.<\/p>\n<div class=\"oembed\">\n<div class=\"perfmatters-lazy-youtube\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/YdGRdxIm-ww\" data-id=\"YdGRdxIm-ww\" data-query=\"feature=oembed\"><iframe src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/YdGRdxIm-ww?feature=oembed&amp;autoplay=1\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>RELATED:\u00a0Reba Sets Personal Record Thanks To \u201cTrailblazer\u201d Collab With Miranda Lambert &amp; Lainey Wilson<\/strong><\/p>\n<h3>Dolly Parton Offered The Most Stunning Show Of Support<\/h3>\n<p class=\"p1\">What many might not realize, as Reba shared in an interview with<em>\u00a0Variety Magazine,<\/em>\u00a0is that\u00a0Dolly Parton\u00a0reached out to offer her immense support.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">In 2021, Dolly Parton and Reba McIntyre collaborated on the song \u201cDoes He Love You?\u201d Check out their official music video below.<\/p>\n<div class=\"oembed\">\n<div class=\"perfmatters-lazy-youtube\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/GZIIEkhtEzk\" data-id=\"GZIIEkhtEzk\" data-query=\"feature=oembed\"><iframe src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/GZIIEkhtEzk?feature=oembed&amp;autoplay=1\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<section><strong>RELATED:\u00a0Dolly Parton Reveals How She Spent First Wedding Anniversary Since Husband\u2019s Death<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">When discussing the song with a reporter, Reba mentioned that Dolly Parton had called her and offered her entire band so Reba could continue touring.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201c<i>\u2018What do you need? Do you want my band?\u2019 She sent Gary Smith, her band leader, to put a band together for me. She and Vince Gill were right there for me the whole time.\u201d<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p class=\"p1\">This kind act isn\u2019t unusual for Dolly Parton, yet it\u2019s clear it still touches Reba\u2019s heart to this day. Vince Gill also offered to play in her band and sing with her if needed. Reba\u2019s two friends showed up for her when she needed them.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">The connection between an artist and their band is incredibly significant, with some bandmates touring alongside the same artist for lifetimes.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Dolly Parton extending this offer was no small gesture. Watch her heartfelt interview below.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<p><i class=\"fa fa-2x fa-facebook\"><\/i>Share on Facebook<\/p>\n<div class=\"featured-embed\">\n<blockquote id=\"v93643944945416350\" class=\"tiktok-embed\" cite=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@varietymagazine\/video\/7499183316927515946\" data-video-id=\"7499183316927515946\">\n<blockquote id=\"v5037225428537118\" class=\"tiktok-embed\" cite=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@varietymagazine\/video\/7499183316927515946\" data-video-id=\"7499183316927515946\"><p><iframe src=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/embed\/v2\/7499183316927515946?lang=en-US&amp;referrer=https%3A%2F%2Flitaupdate.com%2Fmaiplinh%2Fin-a-tearful-interview-reba-mcentire-opened-up-about-the-devastating-1991-plane-crash-that-claimed-the-lives-of-her-entire-band-and-the-unexpected-angel-who-helped-her-through-it-dolly-parto%2F%3Ffbclid%3DIwY2xjawLFYU9leHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETEzRHhYOFI1eXVJY0p2ZnpLAR7T01CubwvD090zDSfyEc2M-lcB-l3KkXuzKdC2l2wBDoz-cEseR09nRTGxHg_aem_mOj4ZRUzd2paeLxuqOfPhw\" name=\"__tt_embed__v5037225428537118\" sandbox=\"allow-popups allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox allow-scripts allow-top-navigation allow-same-origin\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Reba McEntire Emotionally Recalls How Dolly Parton Helped Her After Losing Entire Band In 1991 Plane Crash LEFT: Reba McEntire shed tears remembering her lost band. (ACM&#8230; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":19455,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19454","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>In a tearful interview, Reba McEntire opened up about the devastating 1991 plane crash that claimed the lives of her entire band\u2014and the unexpected angel who helped her through it: Dolly Parton. \u201cShe called and said, \u2018Reba, if you need a band, mine\u2019s yours,\u2019\u201d Reba recalled, voice trembling. That simple act of kindness, offered without hesitation, became a lifeline. \u201cShe was an angel in rhinestones,\u201d Reba said, crediting Dolly\u2019s support with helping her find the strength to keep going. -<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/new50.info\/?p=19454\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"In a tearful interview, Reba McEntire opened up about the devastating 1991 plane crash that claimed the lives of her entire band\u2014and the unexpected angel who helped her through it: Dolly Parton. \u201cShe called and said, \u2018Reba, if you need a band, mine\u2019s yours,\u2019\u201d Reba recalled, voice trembling. 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