Martina McBride’s Mother Dies After Emergency Heart Surgery
Martina McBride's mother, Jeanne Schiff, has died after undergoing emergency heart surgery. The news came on Friday (Jan. 10), just one day after McBride turned to social media to reveal her illness and request prayers.
McBride delivered the news of her mother's death in a long post to Facebook on Friday, describing Schiff as a "complex and amazing woman. Strong. Chic. No-nonsense. Hilarious. Witty. She had the prettiest hair and skin and hands ... I loved her hands."
"Our house was always the house where all the aunts, uncles, and cousins gathered, and she was really the reason for that," McBride adds. "She made her 4 kids self sufficient, told us to go outside and play, gave us chores to do and taught us how to work. She wasn’t one to smother you with affection, help you with your homework, or attend every ballgame, but we always knew she was there for us."
McBride reveals she spent the last week with her mother and her family in intensive care as doctors attempted to stabilize Schiff.
"During that week I held her hand, rubbed her shoulders, stroked her face, told her I loved her and she told me she loved me. Even though I wish it had ended differently I wouldn’t have traded that time with her for anything," McBride reflects. "So now we try and move forward without our matriarch. And somehow, in time, we will. Because she taught us how to be strong. I love you Mom."
On Thursday (Jan. 9), McBride called her mother "a fighter and one of the strongest women I know" before asking for prayers.
McBride's parents were instrumental in her development as a musician. The Kansas native began singing with her father, Daryl Schiff, in a band when she was 7 years old, according to the Grand Ole Opry's website. Her mother worked the soundboard for the country group.
The singer launched her major label career with the release of The Time Has Come in 1992, and scored her first hits in 1993 and 1994 with "My Baby Loves Me," "Life #9," "Independence Day" and more. She's gone on to a long career as one of country music's most respected vocalists, scoring a long string of hits that include "Wild Angels," "A Broken Wing," "Wrong Again," "I Love You," "Blessed" and more.
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