Kelly Clarkson’s ex-husband, Brandon Blackstock, has died of cancer at the age of 48.
Like his father, Narvel Blackstock, Brandon Blackstock was a talent manager in the music industry. It’s through these ties that Clarkson first met her ex-husband: They connected the night she sang at the 2012 Super Bowl.
Narvel Blackstock became Clarkson’s personal manager in 2008. After Clarkson and Brandon Blackstock married in 2013, he took over as her manager. Clarkson spoke about being married to her manager in an interview with Marie Claire in 2018.
“He’s really talented at what he does and his mind really does work in a completely different way. I’m always like ‘is this your manager hat?’ And he’ll go ‘oh, is this your artist hat? Are we going there?’” she said.
Clarkson and Brandon Blackstock share two young children. He also had two children from a previous relationship.
Who Are Brandon Blackstock’s Parents?
Brandon Blackstock’s father, Narvel Blackstock, is a talent manager who has managed stars like Blake Shelton, Reba McEntire and Clarkson. He co-founded Starstruck Entertainment in 1988 with McEntire, his then wife.
Brandon Blackstock’s mother, who now goes by Elisa Gilbert, was previously married to Narvel Blackstock.
Reba McEntire Is Brandon Blackstock’s Former Step-Mom
Narvel Blackstock married McEntire in 1989. They had one son together, race car driver Shelby Blackstock.
The couple announced their separation in a statement shared to McEntire’s website in 2015 after 26 years of marriage.
“Despite this being the end of their marriage, they continue to support each other,” the statement read. “They have worked together for 35 years and will continue to do so. They have asked that you respect their privacy during this time.”
In a 2018 interview with People, three years after her divorce from Narvel Blackstock, McEntire referred to Brandon Blackstock’s children with Clarkson as her grandchildren.
“I don’t ever see the grandkids,” McEntire said at the time. “It was a lot better when everybody was not so busy, but I’ve got seven grandchildren, so they’re scattered all over the country and busy doing stuff. But I love them.”
After Clarkson filed for divorce from Narvel Blackstock in 2020, McEntire told “Entertainment Tonight” that her own divorce had not changed how she defined her relationship with Brandon Blackstock.
“Brandon’s been my son forever, it seems,” she said. “Although he’s my stepson, I still love him like he’s my total — my blood, so I’m praying for them both because I love them both.”
Clarkson said her relationship with McEntire was “not at all” affected by the divorce. During a June 2023 appearance on “Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen,” Clarkson said she and McEntire were friends before she met her ex-husband.
“I think we’re both women of sound mind that know that life doesn’t work out sometimes. I mean, well, she would know best,” she said while laughing. “It’s literally the same thing. So, yeah, no hard feelings there, just feelings.”
