FAMILY SECRETS: What Harold Reid’s Children Shared About His Final Moments — “He Knew It Was Time”
Years after the passing of Harold Reid — the deep voice and beloved bass singer of The Statler Brothers — his children are finally opening up about their father’s final days, and the quiet, powerful moments the world never saw.
Harold, who passed away in April 2020 at the age of 80, was more than a country music legend. To his family, he was a devoted father, a wise soul, and a man of deep humor and unwavering faith. And now, in a rare family tribute, his children have chosen to share the truth about his last hours — the laughter, the tears, and the surprising words he left behind.
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“There wasn’t fear,” one of his daughters recalled. “There was peace. He told us, ‘I’ve lived a good life. I’ve sung my songs. I’ve raised my babies. I’m ready to go home.’”
According to the Reid family, Harold had been battling kidney failure and declining health for some time, but he remained sharp-witted and emotionally strong until the very end. In those final days, he asked only for one thing: to be surrounded by those he loved, with gospel music playing softly in the background.
“We didn’t talk about music industry stuff,” his son said. “We talked about family. About Mama. About how proud he was of all of us. He told us stories we’d never heard before — things he’d held onto all these years.”
But it was what he didn’t say that spoke the loudest.
“He wasn’t trying to be poetic,” another family member shared. “But he looked at us and said, ‘Take care of each other. And make sure you laugh. That’s what matters most.’ That was Daddy. Always making sure we didn’t forget to smile.”
In a tender moment the night before he passed, Harold asked for a recording of old Statler Brothers gospel tunes to be played while he rested. His children sat with him, holding his hands, singing along quietly — and it was during the final verse of “Amazing Grace” that he peacefully slipped away.
There were no grand gestures, no final spotlight. Just a man, surrounded by the voices he loved, leaving the world the same way he lived in it: with grace, humility, and heart.
The Reid family has since said that while they miss their father every single day, they find comfort in knowing that he left on his own terms — full of love, full of memories, and full of peace.
“He didn’t just give his voice to the world,” they said. “He gave us his heart. And that’s what we carry with us now.”
Harold Reid may be gone from the stage, but in the eyes of his children — and the countless fans he touched — his legacy is far from over.
