Singer Kelly Clarkson’s ex-husband Brandon Blackstock had his own connections to the music industry, from his talent manager father to his famous ex-stepmother
Kelly Clarkson’s ex-husband, Brandon Blackstock, passed away on August 7 at the age of 48 after a three-year battle with cancer.
Brandon was a talent manager and producer who worked for his father Narvel Blackstock’s company, Starstruck Entertainment. In addition to managing his former wife’s career, he worked with various country music artists, including Blake Shelton and Rascal Flatts.
He and the American Idol winner married in 2013 and shared two children together, and he was also the father of two children from his previous marriage to Melissa Atworth. His industry connections reached beyond his career, as country legend Reba McEntire was once his stepmother.
His family shared the news of his death on Thursday in a statement that read, “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.”
Brandon’s complex family history begins with his father, who was Kelly’s manager when they met. His mother, television producer Elisa Gayle Ritter, and his father, Narvel, were married in 1973 and divorced in 1988. A year later, Narvel married Brandon’s ex-stepmother, country superstar Reba McEntire, with whom he shares a son named Shelby. Narvel was Reba’s manager for 35 years, even after their contentious divorce was finalized in 2015.
Kelly and Brandon met in 2006 at a rehearsal for the Academy of Country Music Awards when he was still married to his first wife and his father was the singer’s manager. They reconnected in 2012 and were married in 2013. The couple had two children together, and Kelly took on the role of stepmother to Brandon’s two children. “I have had teenagers in my house, for like eight years. I had that, we were a blended family, it’s real different,” she once told comedian Jim Gaffigan during an interview on her talk show.
In 2020, the television host filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences. Their relationship mirrored Narvel and Reba’s, from their manager-talent relationship down to their bitter divorce proceedings.
While the exes were locked in an acrimonious divorce battle, Reba told Extra, “You know, I love them both Brandon’s my stepson; Kelly’s my good friend, and I’m pulling for both of them. I hope they’re happy and healthy and pull through this.”
The ‘Since U Been Gone’ singer recently postponed her Las Vegas residency and had been inexplicably absent from her talk show, The Kelly Clarkson Show, which she clarified just one day before her ex-husband passed away. On August 6, she wrote, “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.”
Kelly reportedly cared for the father of her children in his final days.
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