Reba McEntire Mourns Loss Of Longtime Friend In Heartfelt Tribute

Reba McEntire mourned the loss of a longtime friend and music video director in a heartfelt tribute on Wednesday (September 9).

McEntire, 71, shared a photo on Instagram with Jon Small. Small reportedly died after a battle with cancer on Friday, September 4 in West Palm Beach, Florida. He was 79, according to his obituary.

McEntire said in her tribute that Small “directed my very first music video and so many others... Rest in my peace my friend. Happy trails to you, ‘til we meet again. Love, Reba.” McEntire’s first music video was for “Whoever’s in New England,” which released in 1986. She filmed the award-winning visual for the storytelling single in Boston, Massachusetts. Small also directed the video for McEntire’s “Till You Love Me,” according to his obituary, among many other videos throughout his decades-long career.

Small, who was born in 1947, “played drums in two bands with Billy Joel at the beginning of Joel's career – the rock group the Hassles and the heavy metal band Attila,” his obituary states. The Long Island, New York native also worked with Aerosmith and Run-D.M.C. when they filmed the iconic “Walk This Way” video, plus country stars Garth Brooks, The Highwaymen, Blake Shelton, Shania Twain, Kenny Chesney and more.