Kelly Clarkson‘s ex-husband, Brandon Blackstock, has died at the age of 48. The cause was cancer, Blackstock’s family confirmed in a statement to Rolling Stone.
“It is with great sadness that we share the news that Brandon Blackstock has passed away. Brandon bravely battled cancer for more than three years,” Blackstock’s family said. “He passed away peacefully and was surrounded by family.”
They added: “We thank you for your thoughts and prayers and ask everyone to respect the family’s privacy during this very difficult time.” The Blackstock family said they would not be commenting further about Blackstock’s death, and did not share specifics on Blackstone’s illness.
The news of Blackstock’s death comes just a day after Clarkson postponed several of her Las Vegas residency shows to be “fully present” with her family and kids while Blackstock dealt with his illness, which had not been made public. “While I normally keep my personal life private, this past year, my children’s father has been ill and at this moment,” she wrote on Instagram Wednesday. “I need to be fully present for them.”
Blackstock and Clarkson started dating in 2012. They married in 2013 and had two children: a daughter, River, born in 2014, and a son, Remington, born in 2016. Blackstock was also the former stepson of Reba McEntire, who was married to his father Narvel Blackstock at the time. When Clarkson and Brandon wed, McEntire said: “To have my buddy as my daughter-in-law, I mean, who could ask for more?”
Clarkson penned her song “Piece by Piece” about her relationship with Blackstock. “But piece by piece, he collected me up / Off the ground, where you abandoned things,” she sings on the 2015 title track. “Piece by piece, he filled the holes that you burned in me.” Clarkson eventually filed for divorce in 2020, and it was finalized in 2022, after two years of court contention.
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Blackstock had served as Clarkson’s manager after their marriage (he had previously managed Blake Shelton), an arrangement that caused legal turmoil following the end of their romantic relationship.
Blackstock also had two children, Savannah and Seth, from a previous marriage. He became a grandfather in 2022 when his eldest child, Savannah, had a son named Lake.
