Who Was Charlie Battles, Reba McEntire’s Ex-Husband and Rodeo Star?

Before Reba McEntire became the Queen of Country, she was a small-town girl with big dreams. But behind her early journey was a strong cowboy named Charlie Battles. He was more than just a husband—he was a rodeo champion, a rancher, and someone who deeply influenced Reba’s early life.

Many fans know Reba’s music, but not everyone knows about the man she first loved. Charlie Battles was Reba McEntire’s ex-husband, but his story is much bigger than that title. In this article, we’ll explore who Charlie Battles really was—his cowboy life, his love story with Reba, and how it all changed as fame came into the picture.

Let’s begin with the early years of this real-life cowboy.

Charlie Battles Quick Bio

Early Life of Charlie Battles

Charlie Battles was born on March 9, 1945, in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He didn’t grow up in the spotlight or on fancy stages. Instead, he was raised on ranch land, surrounded by cattle, horses, and wide-open skies. His childhood was filled with hard work, quiet mornings, and learning the cowboy way of life.

He grew up in small Oklahoma towns like Talala and Oologah, where ranching wasn’t just a job—it was a way of life. Charlie loved animals, especially cattle, and spent his days learning how to care for them. His family, especially his mother Ocey, had a strong influence on his values, teaching him to be tough, loyal, and hardworking.

Charlie didn’t go to college. But his real education came from the land—raising animals, fixing fences, and learning how to survive on hard work alone. That kind of life built a man who would later shine in the rodeo world.

His Time in the Army

At just 17 years old, Charlie joined the U.S. Army. He served from 1962 to 1965, and during that time, he was stationed in Germany. His job was as an armor intelligence specialist, which means he worked closely with tanks and learned how to handle pressure, think fast, and lead with strength.

The army gave Charlie a deep sense of discipline and focus. He learned to stay calm under pressure, follow orders, and never give up—skills that would later help him in rodeo arenas and in life.

After three years of military service, Charlie came back home. But he wasn’t the same teenage boy who left. He was a stronger, wiser man, ready to take on the rodeo world.

Charlie Battles the Rodeo Star

When Charlie returned to Oklahoma, he didn’t waste time. He jumped straight into rodeo—and not just any rodeo. He became one of the best steer wrestlers in the sport.

Steer wrestling is a tough event. It takes speed, strength, and perfect timing. You jump off a horse, grab a running steer, and wrestle it to the ground. It’s rough, dangerous, and thrilling. And Charlie was one of the best.

He won the International Rodeo Association (IRA) championships in 1968, 1970, and 1971. That made him a top name in the sport. Then in 1974, he made it to the National Finals Rodeo under the PRCA—the biggest stage for cowboys. This was like making it to the Super Bowl of rodeo.

People admired him for his fearlessness and classic cowboy style. He wasn’t loud or flashy—just strong, calm, and focused. That’s the kind of man Reba McEntire would soon meet.

Meeting and Marrying Reba McEntire

Reba McEntire met Charlie Battles in the mid-1970s. At that time, Reba was a young woman just starting out in country music. She had sung the National Anthem at the National Finals Rodeo in 1974, which helped her get noticed. But she was still a newcomer—just a ranch girl with a dream.

Charlie was already a rodeo star and a divorced father of two boys, Coty and Lance. Reba later said she was drawn to his charm, strength, and cowboy spirit. He was ten years older, but their bond grew quickly.

They got married on June 21, 1976. Reba was just 21, and Charlie was 31. After their wedding, they moved to Stringtown, Oklahoma, where they ran a ranch together. They lived a simple, hardworking life—raising cattle, hauling trailers, and living the rodeo dream.

Reba believed they were building a life side by side. She was in love and felt safe with Charlie. At first, it seemed like a perfect match.

Charlie Battles and Reba’s Early Life Together

In the early years of their marriage, Reba and Charlie were partners in every way. They woke up early, fed the cattle, fixed fences, and traveled together to rodeo events. Reba was trying to grow her music career, but she was still very involved in ranch life.

Charlie supported Reba’s singing in the beginning. He even helped with some of her early business choices. Together, they balanced life between dusty Oklahoma roads and the small stages where Reba was starting to perform.

It was not an easy life, but it was real. Reba later said she “loved Charlie with all her heart” and truly thought they would spend their whole lives together. But as her music began to take off, things started to change.

Trouble Begins as Reba’s Career Rises

By the early 1980s, Reba’s music career was growing fast. Her album My Kind of Country came out in 1984 and helped launch her into stardom. She signed with MCA Records and started doing bigger shows, traveling more, and gaining national attention.

Charlie, however, didn’t adjust well to the fame. What once felt like protectiveness started to feel like control. Reba said he became jealous and angry, especially when her career began taking center stage.

He had fights with her band members, tried to manage her career his way, and didn’t like sharing her attention with the world. Reba also started feeling left out in his life. One day, he took the boys to feed the cattle—a job she used to do with him—and told her she wasn’t needed. That moment hurt deeply.

The happy, cowboy marriage started to crack. And Reba, now rising as a country star, had to face some hard choices.

Divorce and the End of the Marriage

As Reba’s career grew stronger, the space between her and Charlie grew wider. The long hours, the travel, and the pressure of fame added weight to a marriage already feeling stressed. Reba was becoming a rising name in country music, while Charlie wanted life to stay the same. That created a wall that neither of them knew how to climb over.

Reba later shared that she felt torn. She loved Charlie, but she also loved her dream. She tried to keep both, but it became clear that the marriage no longer felt healthy. She also discovered that Charlie had taken money without telling her. That moment opened her eyes even more. In 1987, after 11 years together, Reba made the hard choice to walk away.

It was a painful time for both of them. But it was also a turning point. Reba stepped into her new life, and Charlie returned to the ranch life he knew best. Even though the marriage ended, the years they shared shaped both of their journeys.

The “Divorce Album” That Shared Her Pain

After the divorce, Reba poured her feelings into her music. In 1987, she released an album called The Last One to Know. Many fans later called it her “divorce album,” because the songs carried so much emotion. They felt like pages from a diary written during a heartbreak.

One of the songs, “What You Gonna Do About Me,” talked about how love changes after two people grow apart. Another track, “The Stairs,” told the story of a woman trying to find strength in a difficult home. Even if the songs were not exact copies of her life, they captured the heavy feelings that come with letting go of someone you once loved.

The album helped Reba heal. It also helped her fans understand her better. People could feel her honesty in every line. She turned pain into music, and music into power. And in her own way, Charlie Battles was part of that chapter in her success.

Charlie Battles as a Father and Rancher

After the divorce from Reba McEntire’s ex-husband chapter ended, Charlie focused on the parts of his life that mattered most to him. He continued raising cattle, working long days on the ranch, and staying close to his two sons, Coty and Lance. Ranch life was quiet, simple, and steady—exactly the life Charlie always loved.

Reba, even after leaving the marriage, stayed kind toward the boys. She had been their stepmom during important years, and she cared about them. She once said that being part of their lives helped her learn how to love kids before she became a mother herself. It showed that not all connections end with a divorce.

Charlie later remarried a woman named Donna Granger. Together, they built a peaceful life that fit Charlie’s nature. No fame. No cameras. Just open land, family, and the rodeo world he always understood.

Health Struggles and Final Years

Life took a difficult turn for Charlie in 2006, when he suffered a major stroke. The stroke left him with serious health problems. He could no longer work the way he used to. He could not ride, rope, or move with the strength he once had. It was a hard change for a man who had spent his life depending on his body.

Donna stayed by his side and cared for him as his health slowly declined. Charlie Battles, Reba McEntire’s ex-husband and rodeo star, lived his final years quietly in Sulphur, Louisiana. He passed away on April 21, 2013, at the age of 68, due to heart failure and complications from the stroke.

Even though he lived far from fame, many people still remembered him. Rodeo friends spoke of his strength. Family members remembered his pride and humor. And Reba remembered the chapter of her life that he helped shape.

Final Thoughts

Charlie Battles left behind a legacy built on grit, skill, family, and the true spirit of a cowboy. He won rodeo titles that many competitors only dream about. He built a life through hard work that brought him respect across ranches and rodeo circuits. And he played a real part in the early journey of one of the biggest stars in country music.

For Reba, Charlie was the man standing beside her before the spotlight found her. He was part of her story, her rise, and her early strength. Their love had good moments and hard moments, but it shaped them both in ways that lasted long after the divorce.

Today, when people look back at Charlie Battles, they see more than Reba McEntire’s ex-husband. They see a rodeo champion. A soldier. A father. A rancher. A real cowboy who lived life with toughness and heart.

And in the world of country stories, his is one that will always stand out.

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