Reba McEntire is remembering her former stepson Brandon Blackstock fondly. The late talent manager, the "I'm a Survivor" singer's ex-husband Narvel Blackstock's son, passed away in August aged 48, after a battle with melanoma, a form of skin cancer. He was a father to four kids, two, Savannah and Seth, who he shared with ex-wife Melissa Ashworth, and another two, River and Remington, who he shared with ex-wife Kelly Clarkson.
Reba, speaking with People about her relationship with Brandon — she was married to his father Narvel from 1989 to 2015 — said: "My relationship with my stepson, Brandon Blackstock, was precious," and emphasized: "I absolutely loved that child. He came into my life, I guess he was four years old. Then when Narvel and I got married, he was 13, 14."
The Happy's Place star went on to recall what he was like at home, remembering him as "so funny" and how he loved to "pull pranks" and "scare people," she said. "We'd be at the office there at Starstruck [which was owned by Narvel] in Nashville and I'd be sitting at my desk and I'd see Penny Chubb [a Starstruck Entertainment employee] walk by going to the lady's room, and then here comes Brandon. He'd hide behind the pillar."
The The Voice judge maintained: "Brandon is sorely missed, truly missed with his mischievousness and his love of life. He brought joy to everybody that met him, and we'll never forget him."
Brandon's passing was announced on August 7, though Kelly, to whom he was married from 2013 to 2022, never addressed his passing. A statement from his family confirming his death said 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."
She did however issue a rare statement regarding his health a day prior, when she had to postpone a slate of August shows she was meant to perform as part of her intermittent Las Vegas residency. "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," she said at the time.
The "Since U Been Gone" singer returned to her talk show for its season seven premiere just over a month later, and though she again did not discuss her personal life of Brandon's passing, she said in her introduction: "It's so great to see all of y'all again. I feel like it's been a minute," before explaining why she chose The Weeknd's 2020 hit "Blinding Lights" as her first Kellyoke of the season. "I love that song, it makes me feel good. It's a perfect song to kick us off because light has been a constant theme for us on this show since the beginning."
"We have seen a lot in the past six years, and sometimes the world can be very heavy, but I have always said my favorite part of doing this job, and I stand by it, is finding the light and shining it on people who are really trying to make a difference, and just trying to make the world a better place. Sounds cheesy but it's real, [it] makes you feel good," she continued, before emphasizing: "That's exactly what we're going to be doing this week and all season, y'all."