Kelly Clarkson is focusing on her family.
On Wednesday, August 6, the "Since U Been Gone" singer issued a rare personal statement concerning her ex-husband Brandon Blackstock, citing his recent ill health as the reason for having to postpone her upcoming shows 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," her statement read.
The following day, Brandon's family announced he had passed away aged 48 after a battle with cancer. "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," their statement read.
Kelly and Brandon were married from 2013 until 2022, when they had a lengthy legal battle over their divorce. They share two kids, daughter River, 11, and son Remy, nine. Read on for all to know about Brandon's family life, with and without Kelly.
Kelly is his second wife
Though little is known about her, before Brandon married Kelly, he was married to Melissa Atworth, from about 2001 to 2012.
He and Kelly met in May 2006 at a rehearsal for the Academy of Country Music Awards, and though Kelly has said she had his eye on him from the start, it wasn't until 2012 that they reconnected and started dating. At the time, Brandon's father Narvel Blackstock was Kelly's manager.
Kelly was previously a stepmom
When Kelly and Brandon married in 2013, she became a stepmom to his kids with Melissa, daughter Savannah and son Seth. In 2022, Savannah welcomed her first child.
Last year, Kelly hinted at her time being a stepmom, speaking on her show with father-of-five Jim Gaffigan about what it was like having teenagers in the house.
"Parenting is so hard," the comedian shared, and told Kelly: "You don't have teenagers yet, and believe me…" before she jumped in to clarify that she was once a stepmom to teenagers.
"I have had teenagers in my house, for like eight years," she shared, adding: "I had that, we were a blended family, it's real different."
"It's hell," Jim joked, to which Kelly added: "Yeah, it's not even just like hell, it's just interesting, and just like, I would say.. mood swings."
Brandon is Reba McEntire's former stepchild
From 1989 to 2015, Reba was married to Brandon's dad Narvel. Not unlike Kelly and Brandon, they too had an acrimonious divorce and subsequent legal battle, and both Kelly and Reba have spoken candidly about the financial hit their ex-husbands caused.
Still, in 2021, amid Kelly and Brandon's legal 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," adding: "I hope they're happy and healthy and pull through this."