Music legend and “The Voice” coach Kelly Clarkson made the heartbreaking announcement on August 6, 2025, that she was postponing the remaining shows of her Las Vegas residency, revealing that the reason was due to a family emergency involving her ex-husband, Brandon Blackstock.
On August 7, his family revealed that Blackstock died of cancer at age 48, per People.
“It is with great sadness that we share the news that Brandon Blackstock has passed away,” a rep told the outlet in a statement. “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.”
Who Was Brandon Blackstock?
GettyBrandon was the son of Elisa Gayle Ritter and talent agent Narvel Blackstock, who married in 1973, per IMDb. The couple had three kids, including Brandon, before they divorced in 1988.
Narvel Blackstock then married country legend and fellow “The Voice” coach Reba McEntire in 1989, while managing her career. The two had a son, Shelby, but divorced in 2015.
Brandon followed in his dad’s footsteps, managing music artists through their Nashville firm, Starstruck Management, which still represents Blake Shelton, Carly Pearce, and several other country artists.
In 2006, Brandon met Clarkson — just four years after she skyrocketed to fame on “American Idol” — at the Academy of Country Music Awards, according to Us Weekly. At the time, his dad was managing Clarkson’s career, and Brandon was still married to his first wife, Melissa Ashworth, with whom he had two kids — Savannah and Seth.
Brandon’s divorce from Ashworth was finalized in 2012, the same year that he proposed to Clarkson, per IMDb. He and Clarkson married in 2013, which meant McEntire was Clarkson’s mother-in-law for two years — and the couple had two kids, daughter River Rose, now 11, and son Remington, now 9.
When Did Brandon Blackstock & Kelly Clarkson Get Divorced?
GettyClarkson filed for divorce in 2020, according to E! News, beginning a nearly three-year battle over assets and alleged mishandling of her talent fees. She was managed by Starstruck’s team from 2007 to 2020, per E! News.
Their divorce was eventually finalized in 2022, and the California Division of Labor Standards Enforcement ordered Brandon to return $2,641,374 of paid commissions from when he was Clarkson’s manager.
Blackstock left music management in the midst of their divorce, according to Us Weekly, and focused on becoming a rodeo manager in Montana, where the two shared a ranch. A judge ruled in 2021 that Clarkson would get to keep the ranch, per USA Today.
In December 2024, the U.S. Sun reported that Blackston founded Valley View Rodeo, which he’d been running with Clarkson’s former assistant, Brittany Jones. They also ran Headwater Livestock Auction in Three Forks, Montana, together.
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Who Was Kelly Clarkson’s Ex, Brandon Blackstock? His Connections to Reba McEntire, Blake Shelton & More