The Mysterious Disappearance Of Bobbie Gentry And Her Secret Life

Published Apr 30, 2025 By Jennifer Pernicano

Michael Putland / Getty Images

Bobbie Gentry Is A Country Legend Who Chose To Leave Her Career Behind

Known for her iconic hit song “Ode To Billie Joe,” Bobbie Gentry – originally born Roberta Lee Streeter – disappeared after a series of inexplicable events, never to be seen publicly again for decades.

Bobbie Gentry was just 23 years old when her timeless ballad “Ode To Billie Joe” hit the charts and took off like wildfire, selling over three million copies and topping the country, pop, rock, and easy listening charts. Over the years, the song has been covered by Sheryl Crow, Rosanne Cash, Chevel Shepard, Bonn E Maiy, and so many more.

But, in a moment almost as mysterious as the unnamed item Bille Joe McAllister threw off the Tallahatchie Bridge before taking his own life…Bobbie Gentry completely vanished from the public eye.

In 1967, her multiple Grammy-winning song “Ode To Billie Joe,” was issued to the charts – not as an overproduced single with a lot of fanfare, but using the original demo recording Gentry submitted along with an added string section.

singing star pictured with her guitar in London, May 27, is Bobbie Gentry, who has arrived in the United Kingdom to film a BBC television and radio show. During her six weeks stay, Bobbie will cross the continent three times to star in the Olympia and Paris and film two TV shows, one in Hamburg, the other in Holland. Bobbie's multi-million selling hit, "Ode to Billie Joe," won her three Grammy Awards. She is shown in a head and shoulders shot, leaning her head on the neck of an acoustic guitar. — (Original Caption) 5/27/1968-London, England- Glamourous American singing star pictured with her guitar in London, May 27, is Bobbie Gentry, who has arrived in the United Kingdom to film a BBC television and radio show. (Photo Credit: Bettmann / Contributor)

Gentry would go on to find great success from her music, with popular duets alongside Glen Campbell, songwriting wins with Reba McEntire’s cover of “Fancy,” and she became the first woman to ever host a variety show on the BBC.

Bobbie Abruptly Says Goodbye

During the latter years of her nearly two decades in the public eye, Gentry spent a majority of it in Las Vegas exploring her own creativity in new depths. She crafted glamorous, glitzy, and fabulous stage shows that were lauded by critics for their striking set design. Additionally, she has been credited with designing a majority of the wild costumes and the impressive dance choreography used in those over-the-top shows.

Less than 20 years after her smash breakthrough into the world of entertainment, Bobbie Gentry performed a career-first…and last. Set to take the stage with Mac Davis during a 1983 concert, Gentry canceled the show abruptly – something she had never done before. After that canceled performance, Gentry was spotted a handful of times at industry events, and then utterly vanished without a trace, withdrawing from the public eye to lead a secret, private life.

American singer and songwriter Bobbie Gentry posed sitting on a park bench in a London square on 13th October 1969. (Photo by Larry Ellis Collection/Getty Images)

Nobody truly knows what happened to Bobbie Gentry, and many have speculated she lives near the same Tallahatchie Bridge she sang about in “Ode To Billie Joe,” while others say she is living in Los Angeles outside of the industry – but either way, one thing will always remain the same: her incredible impact on the world of music as a whole.

Watch Bobbie Gentry’s unforgettable performance of this legendary song in the video below.

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