Reba McEntire Remembers Statler Brothers Singer Harold Reid

Statler Brothers singer Harold Reid died on Friday, April 24 at age 80, and he’s since been remembered by a number of his fellow country musicians including Reba McEntire, who shared a black and white photo of Reid on her social media channels on Sunday, April 26. “The one, the only Harold Reid. We will never forget you,” she wrote. “So many great memories, and I’ll never forget you giving me my very first @cma award. Love always, Reba.”

McEntire won her first CMA Award in 1984 for Female Vocalist of the Year. The honor was the first of several wins and McEntire holds the record for most CMA Award nominations for a female artist with 50. Reid was a founding member of the Statler Brothers, which at the time consisted of Reid, his brother Don Reid, Lew DeWitt and Phil Balsley. Reid’s bass voice and songwriting were key attributes of the group, which went on to record over 50 albums and win three Grammy Awards. In 2008, the Statler Brothers were inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.

“Harold Reid was a driving force in one of country music’s greatest quartets, the Statler Brothers. He helped steer the group to stupendous successes, and his stirring bass was the underpinning of dozens of classic hits,” Kyle Young, CEO, Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, said in a statement. “He was also a tremendous entertainer, and one of the world’s funniest people. For decades, he made us laugh and made us cry. As his alter ego, Lester ‘Roadhog’ Moran, would say, his contributions were ‘mighty fine.’ We mourn his loss while we celebrate a life well-lived.”

Reid died at his home in Staunton, Virginia, on Friday. “Our hearts are broken tonight,” Reid’s bandmate Jimmy Fortune wrote on Facebook. “My brother Harold Reid passed away at home with his family. Our prayers and our thoughts are with Brenda and his children and grandchildren and with my other brothers, Don and Phil. We made a lot of great memories together. I’ll miss you, brother, till I see you again.”

A statement on the band’s website shared that Reid died after a long battle with kidney failure. “Harold Reid of The Statler Brothers passed away April 24, 2020. He had bravely endured a long battle with kidney failure,” the message read. “He is and will always be loved by his family, friends and millions of fans. His singing, his songwriting and his comedy made generations happy. He has taken a piece of our hearts with him.”