WE’RE FAMILY— AND BEST FRIENDS!
THE COUNTRY QUEEN AND POP PRINCESS SHARE A SPECIAL BOND BUILT ON TRUST, FAITH AND LOVE
While talking about Reba McEntire at a taping of the 41st Kennedy Center Honors earlier this month, an emotional Kelly Clarkson choked up onstage. “Sometimes when we meet our heroes it doesn’t always pan out how you hope, but meeting Reba, being friends with her and eventually becoming family is one of the highlights of my life — truly,” gushed Kelly, who ended her heartfelt tribute by performing “Fancy” — a hit for Reba in 1991 — at the gala. “Don’t judge me,” joked the Voice coach.
Reba, 63, and Kelly, 36, have found a rare friendship filled with humor and heart. It bridges the generation gap, transcends petty showbiz jealousies and even defies stereotypes about in-law relationships. “She’s a great gal, big-hearted and with Kelly what you see is what you get!” Reba tells Closer exclusively. “I love her to pieces. She’s been one of my best friends since I met her in 2002.”
These two talented women share many personality traits that have helped them develop a warm, mutually supportive rapport — even before Kelly wed Reba’s stepson Brandon Blackstock, 42, in 2013. “They’re both genuine, kind, down-to-earth and fun,” Melissa Peterman, who played Barbra Jean on Reba, tells Closer. “They really just ‘get’ each other,” adds another pal. “They are both faith-filled and loving yet can tell a dirty joke and be adorably inappropriate. Kelly is older than her years, so she and Reba are like contemporaries.”
SOUL SISTERS
Growing up in Texas, Kelly always looked up to Reba, whose hits about romance and heartbreak she heard on the radio. “I’ve loved Reba since I was a little girl,” Kelly said at the 2018 Kennedy Center Honors, which will be televised on Dec. 26. “There’s something about her tone and her storytelling that just feels like home.”
By the time she became a finalist on American Idol in 2002, Kelly had learned several of Reba’s songs that she hoped to sing in the competition. “I literally begged them to have a country-themed week because all I wanted to do was sing ‘Why Haven’t I Heard From You’ or ‘Fancy’ from Reba,” she remembers. “That did not happen, but they did surprise me at the end of the show and I got to perform with Reba. I was so sick and I sounded horrible and she was so sweet. I love her even more for that!”
A few years after her triumphant Idol win, Kelly signed on with Starstruck Entertainment, a company headed by Reba’s then-husband Narvel Blackstock, 62. It changed her life. Not only did Narvel reintroduce Kelly to his recently divorced son Brandon, but he also suggested that Kelly and his wife team up to record a new version of the younger singer’s hit “Because of You” for the Reba: Duets album in 2007. The song did so well that the women co-headlined a sold-out concert tour, 2 Worlds 2 Voices, the following year. “It was one of the most exciting, fun tours I’ve ever been a part of,” recalls Reba.
Melissa, who opened up the shows with her stand-up comedy, remembers that tour fondly. Backstage the women bonded as they killed time sharing showbiz gossip, watching reality shows, playing board games and laughing over pints of ice cream, according to a friend. Says Melissa: “We had an amazing time.”
“She’s bighearted, always full of joy and laughter.”
— Reba on Kelly
A SHOULDER TO CRY ON
Kelly and Reba became so close that the younger singer felt comfortable seeking Reba’s advice. “We used to sit and talk and visit about what she should do,” Reba tells Closer. “We would just talk it all out.” Kelly asked for her thoughts on songs and confided to Reba about the pressure she felt from the music industry. “Reba passed her showbiz wisdom to Kelly on things like handing fame and being in the public eye,” confides the pal.
Kelly has never forgotten this kindness. “Thank you so much Reba for listening to me vent as an artist,” she recently told her. “Thank you so much for comforting me
on the phone through my tears, for being a friend.”
TIES THAT BIND
Their relationship became even closer after Kelly married Brandon in 2013. “To have my buddy as my daughter-in-law, I mean, who could ask for more?” gushed Reba, who grinned almost as happily as the bride at the couple’s private Tennessee nuptials. “She was genuinely thrilled. She loves Brandon like her own son, and she has the same love for Kelly,” says the friend. Kelly also expressed delight about joining the family. “It’s like your friend is becoming your mother-in-law!”
Since then, Reba and Kelly have redefined the in-law relationship. “They truly love each other. There has never been any jealousy from day one. They have never had a cross word,” says the friend. “It’s really a unique bond. They realize that and won’t let anything petty weaken it.”
But in 2015, heartache tested the strength of their connection when Narvel, Kelly’s manager and Reba’s husband of 26 years, asked the country superstar for a divorce. “It was not my idea. I didn’t want it in any shape, form or fashion. So it was really hard to make the adjustment,” admitted Reba, who tried not to let the split fracture her relationship with Kelly and Brandon. “She didn’t want them to have to choose between her and Narvel,” explains the pal. “She didn’t want to tear the family apart, so she leaned on others who weren’t family.”
Still, Kelly’s heart wept for Reba, and she did all she could to cheer her up. “Kelly likes to sing really silly songs to Reba in all different accents,” says the friend. “It cracks Reba up every time.”
The faith the two women share — both are Christians — held them together, too. “The thing that got me through all of this change in my life, number one, is God,” says Reba. “I’ve prayed every day to help me have the strength to move one foot in front of the other.”
In time, she did move on. Two years after her divorce, Reba began dating Anthony “Skeeter” Lasuzzo, a retired geologist. She changed management and started working on a traditional country roots album set to drop next spring. Reba will also be sharing the stage with Brooks & Dunn this summer for six shows at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.
Beyond work, Reba continues to spend as much time as she can with her grandkids (she has seven!). Kelly, who is mom to River Rose, 4, and son Remy, 2, encourages their love for their “rad” grandma. “Reba has a comforting, loving relationship with those kids,” says the friend. “She spoils them, showering them with love and presents.”
Reba sees Kelly as her “country soul sister,” adds the pal. It’s a relationship built on laughter, trust and a loving spirit. Nashville radio host Bobby Bones, who presented to Reba at the Kennedy Center Honors, agrees. “It’s a tight bond,” he tells Closer. “They’re family.”
— Reporting by Katie Bruno
“Thank you for being a rad grandma to my kids.”
— Kelly to Reba