Kelly Clarkson Will Never Be The Same After Death Of Ex Husband, According To Insiders

The day after the tragic news of Brandon Blackstock's untimely death, the world is thinking about Kelly Clarkson. The "Since U Been Gone" singer and Blackstock, a talent manager in the country music sphere, were married for seven years before calling it quits in 2020, welcoming two children along the way. With what can only be assumed to be an inconceivable pain for Clarkson, insiders say it is an indelible mark on her life. "Kelly's life has flipped upside down with Brandon's cancer struggles and now death," a source told the Daily Mail on August 7, 2025, noting that Clarkson may never be the same.

Blackstock, who was also the former stepson of Reba McEntire, died on August 7, 2025, after over three years of dealing with cancer. It was reportedly melanoma, according to TMZ sources. He was 48. Not only is Clarkson working through her own grief, but the Mail source says that she is struggling to help her daughter, River, and son, Remy, grieve the loss of their father. "She feels both a little lost and feels like she has to do everything to make it all make sense," they revealed. "This is going to stick with her forever, it will be a long time for her to get back to the jovial Kelly we all know and love."

Whispers of Brandon Blackstock's illness came on the heels of Clarkson taking time away from her talk show earlier this year. At the time, it was reported that she had to take care of a "sudden family emergency" (via Entertainment Tonight). On August 6, 2025, Clarkson confirmed the tragic news of her ex-husband's health on Instagram, simultaneously announcing the cancellation of her August shows among her new 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 wrote. The next day, it was announced that Brandon had died.

Brandon was the son of Narvel Blackstock, the CEO of Starstruck Entertainment — a company Brandon used to work at too — and the former husband of Reba McEntire. The country music legend was seemingly close with her stepson, despite her divorce from Brandon's father in 2015. In 2021, she told Entertainment Tonight: "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." Her sentiment came in the midst of Brandon's divorce from Clarkson. Hopefully that means that Clarkson can lean on her fellow musician McEntire for comfort during this devastating time.