Brandon Blackstock, Kelly Clarkson’s former husband and manager, has died from cancer at 48.
“It is with great sadness that we share the news that Brandon Blackstock has passed away,” a rep for the family told People Thursday. “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.”
On Wednesday evening, Clarkson, 43, abruptly canceled the remaining August shows for her Las Vegas residency. “This past year, my children’s father has been ill and at this moment, I need to be fully present for them,” she told fans on Instagram.
The Since U Been Gone singer shares two children—River, 11, and Remington, 9—with Blackstock, from whom she filed for divorce in 2020.
Despite the bruising legal battle that followed, Clarkson took a leave from The Kelly Clarkson Show earlier this year to help care for Blackstock, multiple sources told Page Six.
Blackstock first met Clarkson at a rehearsal for the Academy of Country Music Awards in 2006, when he was still married to Melissa Ashworth, the mother of his two older children, Savannah and Seth.
The following year, his father, Narvel Blackstock, became Clarkson’s manager. Narvel was married to country star Reba McEntire, a close friend of Clarkson, until 2015.
Clarkson and Blackstock didn’t reconnect until the 2012 Super Bowl, where she performed the national anthem. By December of that year, the two were engaged.
After their wedding in 2013, Blackstock, also known for managing Blake Shelton, took on management duties for Clarkson as well—though the American Idol winner emphasized in Marie Claire that his skills alone would’ve earned him the job.
“The way that [Blake’s] career has blown up, I would have hired Brandon regardless,” she said in 2018. “He’s really talented at what he does, and his mind really does work in a completely different way.”
Blackstock inspired Clarkson’s 2015 song “Piece By Piece,” in which she reflected on the sense of security she found in their relationship in contrast to the abandonment she experienced from her father.
Clarkson and Blackstock shared homes in Nashville, Los Angeles, and Montana. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the family quarantined at their $17 million Montana ranch.
In June 2020, Clarkson filed for divorce, citing “irreconcilable differences.” At the time, a source told Entertainment Tonight that the couple had realized that “the relationship hasn’t been working for a while” and that working together “non-stop” had become a source of “contention.”
In the ensuing legal fight, Kelly was granted primary custody of their children. Although she initially sought to evict Blackstock from their Montana ranch, she ultimately agreed to give him a 5 percent share of the property.
As part of the 2022 divorce settlement, Clarkson was ordered to pay Blackstock a one-time sum of $1.3 million along with $45,000 per month in child support. Blackstock was also awarded $115,000 per month in spousal support until 2024, according to Entertainment Tonight.
Later, in November 2023, a California labor commissioner ruled that Blackstock had overstepped his role as a manager when booking various high-profile jobs for Clarkson. He was ordered to pay her $2.6 million in commissions.
Blackstock is survived by his four children, a grandson, his father, and siblings Shelby, Shawna, and Chassidy.
