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Kelly Clarkson's ex-husband, Brandon Blackstock dies
Brandon Blackstock has died at the age of 48. He was the former manager and ex-husband to Kelly Clarkson. We are learning the latest with LiveNOW’s Andy Mac and TMZ’s Branson Quirke.
Brandon Blackstock, the ex-husband and former manager of pop star Kelly Clarkson, has died after a three-year battle with cancer. He was 48 years old.
Kelly Clarkson and Brandon Blackstock attend the 2018 CMT Music Awards at Bridgestone Arena on June 6, 2018 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic)
The news was confirmed Thursday by Blackstock’s management company.
Clarkson announced late Wednesday night that she was postponing the August dates of her Las Vegas residency because of Blackstock’s illness, adding she needs "to be fully present" for their children.
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"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," Clarkson wrote on Instagram Wednesday night. "I am sincerely sorry to everyone who bought tickets to the shows and I so appreciate your grace, kindness and understanding."
Brandon Blackstock’s death
What they're saying:
"It is with great sadness that we share the news that Brandon Blackstock has passed away," Blackstock’s management company wrote in a post on Instagram.. "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."
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Blackstock’s family has not disclosed what kind of cancer Blackstone had, but sources told TMZ it was melanoma, a form of skin cancer.
Who was Brandon Blackstock?
The backstory:
Blackstock was a talent manager who worked for Starstruck Entertainment, the agency owned by his father Narvel Blackstock. Starstruck Entertainment also represents Blake Shelton, Carly Pearce and Emily Ann Roberts.
Narvel Blackstock represented Clarkson beginning in 2007 until his son took over as Clarkson’s manager in 2017.
Blackstock is the former stepson of country music legend Reba McEntire, who was married to Narvel Blackstock from 1989 to 2015.
Blackstock had two children with Clarkson and two other children from a previous marriage. Blackstock also became a grandfather in 2022 when his oldest child Savannah had her first son, according to People.
Clarkson and Blackstock’s marriage
Timeline:
Clarkson and Blackstock met at a rehearsal for the Academy of Country Music Awards in 2006, when Blackstock was still married to ex-wife.
According to Fox News, Clarkson and Blackstock became a couple in 2012 and were married in 2013. Blackstock was Clarkson's manager from 2017 until their split in 2020.
They had two children together, River and Remington, in 2014 and 2016, respectively.
By the numbers:
After seven years of marriage, Clarkson filed for divorce citing irreconcilable differences, and the split appeared to be messy. According to People, when the divorce was finalized in 2022, Clarkson was ordered to pay Blackstock $45,601 a month in child support, a one-time payment of more than $1 million, and $115,000 a month in spousal support until January 2024.
But Blackstock was ordered to pay Clarkson $2.6 million for unlawfully securing deals that a talent agent should've handled.
"I think the thing about divorce — especially having it publicized, and people thinking they know the whole thing — the hardest part of that is, like, it wasn't an overnight decision," Clarkson said in 2023. "I wanted to make it beautiful. I wanted to make it awesome. I wanted to make it everything it possibly could be, and sometimes that just doesn’t happen."
The Source: This report includes information from People, Fox News, Starstruck Entertainment and TMZ.