The country singer said her mom, Jacqueline, who died from cancer in 2020, “was really encouraging.”

Reba McEntire has opened up about the initial struggle to find her passion for music again following her mother’s death.

During an interview Wednesday on Today With Hoda & Jenna, the country music legend revealed that she nearly quit music after her mom, Jacqueline, died from cancer in 2020.

McEntire said she was going through her parents’ belongings with her sister Susie after her mom’s death when she shared her thoughts about the future of her music career.

“I was going through pictures. I said, ‘I just don’t think I’m gonna do this anymore.’ She said, ‘What?’ I said, ‘Sing,’” the Grammy-winning singer said. “I said, ‘I always did it for Mama.’ She said, ‘Oh, you’ll get it back.’ I did.”