Reba McEntire explains why she never wanted to meet this late country legend

Reba McEntire didn't want to meet Merle Haggard for good reason. Even when they toured together in the early '80s, McEntire was hesitant to meet the country legend.

“I never wanted to meet my heroes because I didn't want them to disappoint me – ever,” she told her coaches of season 26, Gwen Stefani, Michael Bublé and Snoop Dogg, in a clip from a “Behind the Mic” episode of The voice on Instagram.

“I was doing shows with Merle Haggard and I didn't want to meet him because I didn't want to be disappointed because I had looked up to him for so long,” McEntire recalled. “And when I did, he was the nicest, warmest gentleman. And I just thought, 'Phew!'”

“But people like Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton, Tammy Wynette, Barbara Mandrell – I've always looked up to them – all as sweet as they can be,” she said.

McEntire was just 26 years old when she opened for Haggard at Billy Bob's Texas in Fort Worth in August 1981.

McEntire spoke with Weekly entertainment about their relationship after Haggard's death in 2016, revealing that she eventually considered him a family member.

“My first big concert was with Merle Haggard and the Strangers,” she said in a statement. “We all looked up to Merle Haggard. And it was a thrill in my life when I got to tour with him. We won the state 4-H Club Share of the Fun contest by singing 'Okie from Muskogee.'”

“Merle has been a part of my family for a long time,” McEntire concluded. “I remember when he won all the CMA awards for 'Okie from Muskogee,' I went to bed that night and rehearsed my acceptance speech. He inspired me so much.”