Less than a day after Kelly Clarkson postponed her shows in Las Vegas to be with family, it was announced that her ex-husband, Brandon Blackstock, had died. He was 48 years old and had been in a battle with cancer for over three years.
Blackstock, who was a talent manager and managed Clarkson from 2017 to 2020, died “peacefully” and “surrounded by family,” according to a statement released to Deadline by a representative for his family. Here’s that statement in full:
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. He passed away peacefully and was surrounded by family. We thank you for your thoughts and prayers and ask everyone to respect the family’s privacy during this very difficult time.
As stated earlier, this news comes not even 24 hours after Clarkson postponed her Las Vegas residency. She also shared a statement about that, saying that she was taking time to be with her family amid Blackstock’s illness.
In a message on Instagram, The Kelly Clarkson Show host wrote about why she wouldn’t be playing her upcoming shows, explaining:
Unfortunately, I need to postpone the remainder of the August Studio Session dates in Las Vegas. While I normally keep my personal life private, this past year, my children’s father has been ill and at this moment, I need to be fully present for them. I am sincerely sorry to everyone who bought tickets to the shows and I so appreciate your grace, kindness and understanding.
Before this, there had been rumors going around that Blackstock was sick. The singer had missed quite a few tapings of The Kelly Clarkson Show, citing that it was for a “private matter.” Later, it was alleged that Blackstock was ill; however, that was not confirmed at the time, and his illness was not specified.
Now, we know he had been battling cancer for years.
At the time of this writing, Kelly Clarkson has not publicly commented on her ex-husband’s passing, and it’s unclear how this will impact her performance schedule as well as The Kelly Clarkson Show’s plan for the 2025 TV schedule. However, as we learn more about this developing situation, we’ll be sure to keep you posted.
Before Clarkson and Blackstock finalized their divorce in 2022, they had been married for seven years. According to People, they met in 2006; however, they did not start dating until early 2012. They tied the knot in October of 2013 and called things off in 2020, before finalizing the drawn-out divorce two years later.
The singer and talent manager shared two children, River and Remington, who were born in 2014 and 2016, respectively. He also had two kids with his ex-wife, Melissa Ashworth, who he was with until 2012. His eldest daughter also has a son of her own.
Notably, Reba McEntire is also Blackstock’s former stepmother. She was married to his dad, Narvel Blackstock, from 1989 to 2015.
Professionally, Brandon Blackstock was a talent manager for his dad Narvel’s firm Starstruck Entertainment, managing folks like Blake Shelton and Carly Pearce. As stated earlier, he also managed Clarkson. On top of that, he served as an executive producer on The Kelly Clarkson Show from 2019 to 2020.
Now, as we learn more about his tragic passing, we’ll be sure to keep you updated.
We here at CinemaBlend send our thoughts and condolences to Kelly Clarkson and Brandon Blackstock’s family, friends and loved ones during this tragic time.
