After 26 years of marriage, Reba McEntire and her husband Narvel Blackstock have announced their separation.

In a joint statement issued on Monday (Aug. 3), McEntire and Blackstock said that they have been separated for the past several months; however, a representative would not confirm to the Associated Press whether or not the couple has filed for divorce.

"Despite this being the end of their marriage, they continue to support each other," the statement continues. "They have worked together for 35 years and will continue to do so. They have asked that you respect their privacy during this time."

McEntire and Blackstock first began working together in 1980; she was a rising country star, and he was in her band. Blackstock now runs a management company that represents McEntire, as well as their daughter-in-law Kelly Clarkson and Blake Shelton.

Prior to their marriage in 1989, both McEntire and Blackstock had been married once before. Together, they have one son, Shelby Blackstock. Narvel Blackstock also has three children from a previous marriage, including Clarkson's husband, Brandon Blackstock.

Last year, McEntire announced her new record deal with Nash Icon. She released her newest album, Love Somebody, in April and, in June and July, completed the first part of her Las Vegas residency with Brooks & Dunn. Before her Nash Icon deal, however, it was Blackstock who convinced the country icon that her career wasn't over.

“[He] kept saying, ‘No, it’s not; you’ll record again,'" McEntire recalls. "And I was like, ‘Wow, where’s your crystal ball?’”

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