Reba McEntire almost gave up her music career after a tragedy happened to her life.
Over three decades since the tragic 1991 plane crash claimed the lives of McEntire's band members, the country singer finally spoke up about the trauma and how the event almost made her quit the music industry.
Speaking in an interview with PEOPLE for the magazine's latest issue, which will be released on Friday, McEntire spoke candidly about the pain she felt after hearing the tragic news.
According to the 67-year-old country icon, she had no idea whether she could continue without them.
"I didn't know if I was going to be able to continue. 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.
The plane crash happened after her concert in San Diego killed eight of her band and crew members, but she said she never blamed God for the sudden loss.
Instead, she started to feel thankful for the things she still had and made sure to tell everyone how much she loved them.
The plane crash led her to give birth to her highest-selling album to date, "For My Broken Heart." She released it eight months after the incident happened.
Aside from expressing her grief through the album, McEntire also got the chance to release the pain even more through the film, "The Gambler Returns." She appeared in it alongside her late friend, Kenny Rogers," and she began referring to the project as the one that saved her sanity.
What Happened to Reba McEntire's Team?
On Mar. 16, 1991, McEntire's tour manager and seven band members left San Diego after the singer's private concert.
She received the news about the incident around 2:00 a.m. that day.
In her biography, McEntire detailed that the long weekend began at that time with a show in Michigan. They reportedly leased a pair of jets to make their travel between the states easier.
On March 15, the planes' departure location changed as the airport had an 11:00 p.m. curfew. The team already expected that the show would last after 10:00 p.m.
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McEntire's then-husband and manager, Narvel Blackstock, moved the planes to a private airport without a curfew. The singer was supposed to fly with the team but opted to travel the next day because she was not feeling well.
Unfortunately, the plane crash happened moments after the private pilot, Roger Woolsey, attempted to drive back when he saw a ball of fire in his rearview mirror.
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