Reba McEntire was hit with a wave of grief during the knockouts round on The Voice on Monday, Oct. 27. During the episode, Team Reba contestant Aubrey Nicole performed Martina McBride’s “I’m Gonna Love You Through It,” a record about supporting a loved one through cancer treatment. Nicole’s performance was followed by Leyton Robinson taking on Maren Morris’ “I Could Use a Love Song,” but when it came time for McEntire to decide between the two, her emotions spilled over the edge.
“I’m Gonna Love You Through It” hit close to home for McEntire, whose stepson Brandon Blackstock died on Aug. 7 after a battle with melanoma, a type of skin cancer. “I lost my oldest son because he did not win with cancer,” she said. “That was a real reminder that life goes on, and we sing songs about it so we can remember the ones around us that we love so much, that we lean on at times like this.”
As McEntire spoke through tears, her fellow coach Snoop Dogg brought over a pack of tissues. “I’ll need it, thank you, Snoop,” she said. When she reached the conclusion of her emotional aside, Snoop was the one looking to wipe away his tears, telling her, “Reba, I need my tissue back.”
McEntire awarded Nicole the win for the round, though not on the basis of her moving delivery alone. She also praised the contestant for taking the advice of Team Reba mega mentor Joe Walsh. “I loved it, I got goosebumps — My wife is a cancer survivor, it’s a journey,” Walsh told Nicole during rehearsals. “When you are full-on, you can’t let your emotion own you. Not trying to blow out all the windows, ’cause you’re singing hard. Just step back a little bit in your mind.”
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He added: “What a message, and having taken the ride, you took my right there.”
In August, McEntire shared a tribute to Blackstock on Instagram. “Last week, my stepson/oldest son Brandon Blackstock went home to be with God. His struggle is over and he is in eternal peace in God’s presence,” she wrote. “There is no one else like him, and I’m thankful for the time we had together.”
