Reba McEntire Honored by Conway Twitty’s Grandson 26 Years After Country Music Icon’s Death

It’s been 26 years since country music icon Conway Twitty passed away, on June 5, 1993. Twitty’s grandson, Tre Twitty, is now opening up about Reba McEntire, and the unexpected way she he helped Twitty’s family when he died. Tre, who is part of the duo, Twitty and Lynn, with Loretta Lynn’s granddaughter, Tayla, shared the heartwarming story on social media.

“I’ve been waiting for 26 years to meet this wonderful lady and to tell her thank you,” Tre posted alongside a photo of a beaming McEntire beside him. “I’m publicly telling this story because she is far too classy and modest to ever mention it. On June 4th 1993 my grandfather Conway Twitty collapsed on his bus in Branson, Missouri. He had to be rushed to the hospital in Springfield, Missouri. His children Joni, Kathy, Jimmy & Michael were all back at Twitty City, just outside of Nashville.

“They were all notified that Poppy was in bad shape and that they needed to get there fast. Joni, Kathy, and Jimmy immediately starting driving to get there as fast as possible,” he continued. “My father, Michael, got a hold of Reba McEntire in the middle of the night and told her the situation. Reba said ‘Go to the airport, my plane is waiting, take it as long as you need it. I’ll call my pilot now.’”

McEntire’s pilot flew Michael to Springfield in time for him to say goodbye to his father, which wasn’t the only gift he received from McEntire.

“They all got there and got their chances to say their goodbyes before Poppy passed on the morning of June 5th,” Tre recounted. “Later that day they all flew back to Nashville on Reba’s plane, their world forever changed. A couple of days later, my dad phoned Reba and asked how much they owed her for the plane rental. Reba said ‘Your daddy took me on tour and gave me $5,000 a night when I wasn’t worth $500, you don’t owe me anything. I loved him.’ Country music is all about family. Thank you Reba for being there for mine.”

Twitty was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame posthumously, in 1999. McEntire was inducted into the same organization 12 years later, in 2011.

McEntire has won six CMA Awards. She will return this year, along with Dolly Parton, to help Carrie Underwood host the 2019 CMA Awards. The ceremony will air live from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee on Wednesday, Nov. 13, at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.

Photo Credit: Getty images/Santiago Felipe