Topline
Brandon Blackstock, singer and talkshow host Kelly Clarkson’s ex-husband and father of her two children, has died after a three-year battle with cancer, his family announced Thursday.
Brandon Blackstock and Kelly Clarkson on Jan. 12, 2020.
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Key Facts
Blackstock, 48, was a talent manager and had a producer credit on Clarkson’s daytime talkshow, “The Kelly Clarkson Show,” as well as on the 2010 TV music special “Blake Shelton Live: It’s All About Tonight.”
He has two children with Clarkson and two children from a previous marriage.
His father, Narvel Blackstock, is also a talent manager and was married to country music legend Reba McEntire, Brandon’s stepmother, for more than 25 years.
News of Blackstock’s death comes one day after Clarkson said she would be postponing the remaining August dates of her Las Vegas residency, sharing “This past year, my children’s father has been ill and at this moment, I need to be fully present for them.”
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Key Background
Blackstock started dating Clarkson in 2012 after meeting through his father, who managed the singer for years. They married in 2013 and had two children, a daughter born in 2014 and a son born in 2016. During their marriage, Blackstock served as Clarkson’s manager. She filed for divorce in 2020 and a messy legal battle began, including litigation with Narvel Blackstock’s company, Starstruck Entertainment. Clarkson was awarded primary custody of her two children and the divorce was finalized in March 2022. She was ordered to pay Brandon Blackstock $1.3 million, $45,000 per month in child support and $115,000 a month in spousal support until Jan. 31, 2024. In 2023, Clarkson won a California Labor Commission dispute against Blackstock and Starstruck. A judge ordered he return to her $2.6 million in commissions he received for securing contracts she had with “The Voice,” Norwegian Cruise Lines, the Billboard Music Awards and Wayfair.
Crucial Quote
“Brandon’s been my son forever it seems. Although he’s my stepson, I still love him like he’s my total—my blood—so I’m praying for ‘em both ‘cause I love ‘em both,” McEntire told Entertainment Tonight during Clarkson and Blackstock’s divorce.
Tangent
Clarkson and Blackstock’s divorce settlement made headlines in part for the inclusion of one interesting detail: their children’s vaccination status. Blackstock and Clarkson were divorced amid the COVID-19 pandemic and their divorce stipulated that the two children must be vaccinated against coronavirus and, until they were, they would fly privately to visit their father in Montana at Clarkson’s expense.
Further Reading
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/maryroeloffs/2025/08/07/brandon-blackstock-kelly-clarksons-ex-husband-and-former-manager-dies-of-cancer/