Reba McEntire is embracing her seventh decade with a joy she calls unmatched, crediting much of it to her fiancé Rex Linn and a love she describes as unlike anything she’s known. In a candid interview with People published Tuesday, the 70-year-old country music icon revealed she’s “happier now than I’ve ever been in my life,” reflecting on her thriving career, personal growth, and a romance that’s been brewing for decades. “It’s amazing. It’s wonderful being 70 and getting to do what I get to do at the level I want to do it,” McEntire told the magazine, her words laced with gratitude for a chapter she cherishes deeply. The revelation comes amid her engagement to Linn, 68, announced publicly at the 2025 Emmy Awards in September, though the proposal actually happened last December.

McEntire and Linn’s paths first crossed in 1991 on the set of the TV movie The Gambler Returns: The Luck of the Draw, where they shared the screen but nothing more than professional sparks. “We’ve kept in contact with each other over the years, and we both know the same people,” McEntire recalled in the People piece, noting their reconnection in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. At the time, McEntire was grieving the death of her mother, Jacqueline McEntire, and Linn reached out with support. “In 2020, when Mama got sick, he called me,” she shared on Today in 2021, adding that their bond deepened through daily chats and visits that began in March of that year. “We’d gotten to see each other before because we’re both on Young Sheldon. So starting in March of 2020, we just kept talking and visiting and finally got together, see each other in June. And we’ve been pretty much inseparable ever since.”

That inseparability has now led to rings and wedding plans. At the Emmys on September 14, 2025, an E! News reporter referred to them as fiancés, prompting McEntire to confirm the news with a beaming smile. “Rex is a very tender-hearted man, and I just love him with all my heart,” she gushed to People. “He’s a good guy. Real bashful though. Wherever we go, that is our Happy’s Place.” The couple’s shared work on McEntire’s NBC sitcom Happy’s Place, where Linn plays her on-screen love interest Herb, has only strengthened their off-screen connection. “Getting to work with Rex, drive to work with Rex and do the show, the rehearsals, drive home, talk about it, rehearse together—that’s what’s really special for me,” she said.

McEntire’s path to this happiness wasn’t always smooth. The Oklahoma native, born Reba Nell McEntire on March 28, 1955, grew up on a ranch in Chockie, where her family raised cattle and performed as The Singing McEntires at rodeos. She won the National Finals Rodeo barrel racing title at 17 before pivoting to music after a 1975 demo tape caught the ear of Red Steagall, landing her a deal with Mercury Records. Her debut album in 1977 kicked off a career that’s sold over 75 million records worldwide, earning three Grammys and a place in the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2012.

Her personal life, however, has seen heartache. McEntire married steer wrestling champ Charlie Battles in 1976 at age 21, divorcing in 1987 after 11 years and two homesick years on the road. She wed manager Narvel Blackstock in 1989, building a family with son Shelby, now 35, and daughter Cheyenne, 34, but the union ended in 2015 amid Blackstock’s infidelity, per McEntire’s later reflections. “I went through a real dark time,” she told People in 2016, channeling the pain into her 2017 album Sing It Now. Through it all, she’s remained a powerhouse: Hosting the ACM Awards 17 times, starring in her self-titled sitcom (2001-2007), and judging The Voice for four seasons, including its 28th in 2025.

Linn, a Dallas native and veteran actor with credits in CSI: Miami and Better Call Saul, brings a grounded energy to McEntire’s whirlwind world. The pair’s engagement, proposed last December during a quiet dinner, was kept private until the Emmys slip. Friends say Dolly Parton played matchmaker, nudging Linn to pop the question after spotting his hesitation. “Dolly’s not afraid to tell it like it is,” a pal told RadarOnline, crediting her for the ring. McEntire, ever the romantic, eyes a Vegas vow renewal at the Little White Wedding Chapel for its “great memory” vibe, per insiders.

At 70, McEntire shows no signs of slowing. Happy’s Place Season 2 premieres in 2026 with a trailer teasing a “long-buried secret” and guest JoAnna Garcia Swisher reprising her Reba daughter role. She’s also touring with her 2025 album Revived Remixed Revisited, blending classics with electronic twists, and voicing a character in an upcoming animated film. “I love this chapter in my life. I’m very grateful,” she told People, crediting therapy and faith for her glow.

Fans are swooning over her candor. The interview clip trended on TikTok with 5 million views, spawning edits set to “Is There Life Out There?” and comments like “Reba proving love gets better with age.” It’s a far cry from her 2020 Broadway debut cancellation due to COVID, or the 2017 plane crash that killed her band. “She’s unbreakable,” one fan posted on X.

McEntire’s words resonate in a culture obsessed with youth: “No amount of fame or money is worth my peace.” With Linn by her side, she’s scripting her happiest encore