Reba McEntire Remembers Her Mother on the 1-Year Anniversary of Her Death

Reba McEntire's mother, Jacqueline Smith, died on March 14, 2020 after a battle with cancer, and the country singer remembered her late mom with an emotional social media post on Monday, March 15. McEntire shared a black and white video that began with photos of herself and her mom, set to her song "You Never Gave Up on Me."

The photos switched to shots of McEntire in concert when the lyrics read "I'm here where I was always meant to be / I never gave up 'cause you never gave up on me," before one final photo of McEntire and Smith appeared on the screen. "One year ago yesterday, Mama went to heaven. I know she's still not giving up on me. Thank you Mama," McEntire captioned the clip, inviting her followers to click the link in her bio to see the full video.

The full clip is a newly-released video for "You Never Gave Up on Me" that begins with a throwback clip of McEntire giving an acceptance speech and saying, "The first time me and Mama came to Nashville, she told me, she said, 'Reba, I couldn't do this, so I'm living my life and my dreams through you.' This is from me and Mama, and we thank you." The video continued with photos of McEntire and Smith along with other family members over the years.

McEntire originally shared the news of her mother's death with a photo remembering Smith and a photo of Smith and all four of her children — McEntire and her siblings Alice, Pake and Susie — laughing together during a family photo shoot.

"Our Mother, Jacqueline McEntire, made that wonderful cross over into Heaven today," the Oklahoma native wrote. "She had a wonderful, full, healthy life and was absolutely ready to go. The cancer might think it won the battle but we're giving God all the credit on selecting the time for her to go home to Him. She was ready to see our Daddy, her mama and daddy and all her family and friends.

"Down here, Alice, Pake, Susie and I, grandkids and great grandkids all got to visit with her either in person or over the phone," she continued. "She left knowing how much she is loved and we all know how much she loved us. We are very thankful for all the prayers, cards, calls, visits, the care-givers with their huge hearts, and the time God gave us with Mama."