Things got emotional during the first episode of Knockouts on Season 28 of The Voice after Team Reba Artist Aubrey Nicole sang Martina McBride’s “I’m Gonna Love You Through It. The song is about helping a loved one through a serious illness, specifically cancer, and Aubrey chose it in honor of her father, who dealt with cancer right when she moved away for college. Her father is thankfully now in remission, and Coach Snoop Dogg remarked that despite not knowing her story (and never having heard the song before), he was still moved by the performance. That’s when Coach Reba McEntire poignantly chimed in.
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“I do know this song. Martina’s — I’ll need it, thank you, Snoop,” McEntire said, interrupting herself as Snoop handed her a tissue to dab her eyes with.
“Martina’s a good friend of mine. I lost my oldest son because he did not win with cancer,” McEntire said. She was referring to her stepson Brandon Blackstock, who passed away in August 2025 after battling melanoma.
“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. You did a great job,” added McEntire. She ultimately gave Aubrey the win for that Knockout round.
How was Reba McEntire related to Brandon Blackstock?
McEntire was married to Brandon’s father, Narvel Blackstock, from 1989 to 2015, and they share a son, Shelby Blackstock, Brandon’s half-brother.
“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. There is no one else like him, and I’m thankful for the time we had together. His legacy and laughter will be carried on through his family. Rest in peace, cowboy. Happy trails to you ’til we meet again,” McEntire wrote on Instagram at the time of the talent manager’s passing.
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“My relationship with my stepson Brandon Blackstock was precious. I absolutely love that child. He came into my life, I guess he was 4 years old? And then when Narvel and I got married, he was 13, 14, something like that? And along with his mom and dad, I helped raise him, along with [Narvel’s three other children, including Shelby],” McEntire told People in October 2025.
“They were my kids. I absolutely love all four of them. And they’re real tight, they’re very close,” she continued. “Brandon is sorely missed, truly missed. With his mischievousness and his love of life, he brought joy to everybody that met him and we’ll never forget him.”
She added that Brandon “loved to scare people,” recalling that as a kid, “We’d be at the office…in Nashville and I’d be sitting at my desk, and I’d see [an employee] walk by going to the ladies’ room, and then here comes Brandon. He’d hide behind the pillar.”
