Charlie Battles was a businessman and cattle rancher, best known for having been the first husband of legendary country singer Reba McEntire. Know all about his career, age, biography and more in this article.
Who Was Charlie Battles?
Charlie Battles was born on March 9, 1945, to Earl and Ocey Battles. Battles had two siblings, a brother Jim Battles and a sister Roxey Battles. He grew up in a rural area and developed a passion for rodeo and cattle ranching from an early age. He attended local schools and graduated from high school in 1962.
Charlie joined the US Army in 1962 after completing his education. During the training, Charlie spent a few months in Missouri.
He joined the US Army after answering “Uncle Simon’s call.” In 1962, after completing his soldier training, he enlisted in the military. He trained for almost ten months at Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri. As opposed to regular training soldiers, they were not sent to Vietnam. In 1965, his training concluded, and he became a real army guy. He was escorted back to his native Oklahoma with honour. Charlie Battles was also an armour intelligence specialist in Germany.
What Did Charlie Battles Do After His Army Training?
After serving for a few years in Germany as an intelligence officer, he returned to Oklahoma. He began directing wrestling after completing his time in the armed forces. He competed in several sports and was skilled in steer wrestling rodeo activities. From 1968 to 1971, Charlie was the champion three times in a row.
Charlie also competed in the 1974 PRCA National, winning the steer championship. At the time, he was unknown and putting a lot of effort into pursuing a career in cattle ranching.
Charlie Battles And Reba McEntire
Charlie Battles met Reba McEntire for the first time in 1971 at one of his rodeo events. Reba was a country singer who had approached him after his performance. However, she got to know that he was married and had kids from his previous relationship. They met again in 1974 in Oklahoma City.
Even though Charlie and Reba were apart by eleven years, they were married in 1976. They were married for eleven years, however they never had children. Reba wasn’t close to either of Charlie’s two sons from his first marriage, even though they were in their lives.
Charlie prioritised his wrestling career during their marriage, while Reba was focused on becoming a well-known singer. Their relationship was severely impacted when she hired him to assist her with her band.
Charlie Battle’s support and protectiveness towards Reba McEntire gradually gave way to jealousy and possessiveness as her fame grew. Battles was the owner of their land, therefore he would get all of Reba’s earnings. He even took money out of her bag since he thought he deserved to be rewarded for his success.
In 1987, Reba sought a divorce with the assistance of her parents and sister. Whether or not it was motivated, Charlie never wanted this divorce, which is what caused him to take all the money out of their joint account when he found out that Reba had asked for a divorce in an attempt to persuade her to stay.
Charlie Battles After Divorce
Charlie Battles got back up right away after divorcing Reba and went back to his favourite pastime, rodeoing. In 1993, he began rodeoing out of his own ranch in Stringtown. Perhaps because of his expertise overseeing Reba and their possessions throughout his relationship with her, Charlie also ventured into the business sphere. Afterwards, Charlie Battles purchased his own company, which is currently called Charlie Battles PRCA Rodeo Livestock Corporation.
Charlie Battles married Donna Granger, his third wife, in 1998 after embarking on a new romantic relationship. However, they were childless. Charlie Battles sadly passed away from a stroke in 2006. After that he was completely incapacitated. He was laid to rest in Sulphur, Louisiana, after suffering complications from a stroke and heart failure in 2013.
