Singer had postponed Las Vegas residency to be “fully present” while Blackstock battled cancer
Kelly Clarkson‘s ex-husband, Brandon Blackstock, has died at the age of 48. The cause was cancer, Blackstock’s family confirmed in a statement to Rolling Stone.
“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,” Blackstock’s family said. “He passed away peacefully and was surrounded by family.”
They added: “We thank you for your thoughts and prayers and ask everyone to respect the family’s privacy during this very difficult time.” The Blackstock family said it would not be commenting further about Blackstock’s death, and did not share specifics on Blackstone’s illness.
The news of Blackstock’s death comes just a day after Clarkson postponed several of her Las Vegas residency shows to be “fully present” with her family and kids while Blackstock dealt with his illness, which had not been publicly revealed yet. “While I normally keep my personal life private, this past year, my children’s father has been ill and at this moment,” she wrote on Instagram Wednesday. “I need to be fully present for them.”
Blackstock and Clarkson married in 2013 and had two children: a daughter born in 2014 and a son born in 2016. Clarkson penned her 2015 song “Piece by Piece” about her relationship with Blackstock two years after they married. They divorced in 2020, and it was finalized two years later.
Blackstock served as Clarkson’s manager after their marriage (he had managed Blake Shelton in the past), an arrangement that caused legal turmoil following the end of their relationship. Blackstock also had two children, Savannah and Seth, from a previous marriage. He became a grandfather in 2022 when his eldest child, Savannah, had a son named Lake.