Reba McEntire, husband separate after 26 years

Country superstar/TV actress Reba McEntire and husband and manager Narvel Blackstock announced Monday they have separated after 26 years of marriage.

In a joint statement, on her website, the couple said that "despite this being the end of their marriage, they continue to support each other. They have worked together for 35 years and will continue to do so. They have asked that you respect their privacy during this time."

A representative for her Big Machine Label Group declined to say whether they had filed for divorce.

The Grammy-winning multi-platinum artist is one of country music's most popular artists, with No. 1 records in each of the last four decades.

But her career career has extended into television, film and theater. The Oklahoma native was the star of the popular Reba, television show for six seasons and she has appeared in 11 films.

Her latest album, Love Somebody, was released in April and debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 chart.

The couple are closely connected to music stars. Blackstock runs a management company that represents McEntire, Blake Shelton and Kelly Clarkson, and one of his sons from a previous marriage, Brandon, is married to Clarkson.

The couple has one son together, race car driver Shelby Blackstock.

Contributing: The Associated Press