Kelly Clarkson Reportedly “Devastated” For Her Kids Over The Loss Of Their Father, Her Ex-Husband Brandon Blackstock

Just heartbreaking.

Last week, it was announced that Brandon Blackstock, Kelly Clarkson’s ex-husband and famous entertainment talent manager, has sadly passed away at 48. He was the father to her two young children River, 11, and Remington, 9, and he also had two adult children from a previous marriage, Savannah and Seth. He became a grandfather in 2022 when his eldest child Savannah gave birth to a son, Lake.

Blackstock was also the stepson of Reba McEntire, as Reba was married to Brandon’s father, Narvel Blackstock, for many years, from 1989 to 2015.

A rep for the family gave a statement to PEOPLE, confirming his passing and saying he had been battling cancer for “more than three years.” They also thanked the fans for their thoughts and prayers, and asked for privacy during this very difficult time:

“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.”

Brandon had been fighting a three-year battle with melanoma, and he and Clarkson went through a nasty divorce several years ago, as Clarkson filed for divorce from him back in 2020. They finally settled their divorce in 2022 after a longtime custody battle over their two children, though the battle made headlines for years and it seemed as though they were not on good terms, obviously.

Clarkson and Blackstock were married from 2013 until 2022, and they first met in 2006 at a rehearsal for the Academy of Country Music Awards, when Blackstock was working as Rascal Flatts’ tour manager. Six years later, they reconnected at the Super Bowl and began dating. Blackstock later became Blake Shelton’s manager, as well as Clarkson’s while they were together.

Many of Blackstock’s friends and family have shared tributes and memories of him, including Reba’s son and Brandon’s half brother Shelby. And even though Clarkson and Blackstock were no longer married, and had been through a horrible divorce, a source told Page Six that Clarkson has been looking after him while trying to work and keep her residency, as well as popular daytime TV show, alive. They explained that Blackstock was “the man she loved” and still the father to her children:

“It’s been exhausting and so sad… Kelly has been working so hard, as well as looking after Brandon. Despite their difficult divorce, he’s still the man she loved and still her kids’ father.”

Much of that had to do with Kelly’s childhood and the fact that her father, Stephen, left the family when Kelly was six years old, and they had a strained relationship for the rest of his life. So when Kelly and Brandon went through their divorce, a source tells Page Six that her “biggest fear” was her kids growing up without a father like she did:

“Kelly’s biggest fear during the divorce was that her kids would grow up feeling distant from their father. She always wanted to spare them that. She’s devastated for them…

Even though things were not good with her and Brandon for a while before they split — and then they got positively nuclear during the divorce proceedings — absolutely none of that ever changed Kelly’s bottom line: her kids deserved to grow up having a wonderful relationship with their dad.”

Kelly ended up getting primary custody of her kids, but as Brandon still had a strong relationship with both of his kids from a previous marriage, and she felt confident knowing her kids would have the same, even if they weren’t married:

“Kelly has had a very strained relationship with her own father her entire life. They are essentially estranged, and when she and Brandon first got together he had stressed to her how important it was that his relationship with his kids remained strong. Their bond wasn’t going to end just because that marriage did.

For all their issues once they split — and it was really really toxic and bad— Kelly really did learn from what she saw from Brandon in their first days together: He never badmouthed his first wife around his kids, and he never let that divorce get in the way of their bond. So Kelly knew she would do the same thing. She wasn’t going to be the reason why her kids weren’t close with their dad.”

This whole thing has “wrecked” Kelly and obviously will be an extremely difficult road for the kids going forward, but Blackstock was always their for them and he “adored” his kids:

“Brandon didn’t turn out to be the best husband for her or the best person to try to separate from easily or amicably, but he was always a very good dad who adored his kids. She will grieve that particular loss forever.”

Clarkson is due back on the set of “The Kelly Clarkson Show” next month, though it’s unclear if she’ll return to her coaching gig on The Voice, even though she has already filmed the audition portion of this season.

Clearly, she’s dealing with much more important things in her personal life, and I can only imagine how difficult it is for her to be a mom to two young children who are grieving an unimaginable loss.The post Kelly Clarkson Reportedly “Devastated” For Her Kids Over The Loss Of Their Father, Her Ex-Husband Brandon Blackstock first appeared on Whiskey Riff.