Kelly Clarkson cancels Texas concert appearance days after ex-husband Brandon Blackstock's shock death

Daily Mail​

21 hours ago

Kelly Clarkson has canceled her upcoming appearance at the Band Together Texas fundraising concert following the death of her ex-husband Brandon Blackstock.
The 43-year-old singer — who was not mentioned in the former talent manager's obituary — was slated to hit the stage at the event on August 17 to raise money for those affected by the deadly July floods.
While the mom-of-two did not share the news herself, the announcement was made on the event's Instagram stories on Tuesday.
'Unfortunately, Kelly Clarkson will be unable to appear at Band Together Texas as planned, due to personal circumstances,' the since-expired post read.
'We send out love to Kelly and her family,' the statement concluded.
The benefit concert — which is being put on by both Miranda Lambert and Parker McCollum — will be held in Austin at the Moody Center.
Lambert and McCollum are also set to perform as well as other music artists such as Ryan Bingham, Wade Bowen, Jack Ingram, Cody Johnson, Lukas Nelson, Jon Randall and Randy Rogers Band.
The event 'aims to rally critical support for flood-impacted communities and their ongoing needs as they recover and rebuild,' per the official website.
Clarkson's ex-husband passed away at the age of 48 on August 7 following a three-year battle with melanoma.
The former couple were married from 2013 until their divorce was finalized in 2022. They also welcomed two children together: Remington, 11, and River, nine.
He was also father to Savannah, 23, and Seth, 18, whom he welcomed with first wife Melissa Ashworth — who recently broke her silence on his death.
But Clarkson was not mentioned in Blackstock's obit which was released on Tuesday by Butte Funeral Home.
Other relatives were listed in the obit such as his four children, grandchildren, grandparents and stepparents — which includes former stepmom Reba McEntire.
The obit notably included the bombshell revelation that Blackstock had been in a relationship with Clarkson's past assistant leading up to his death.
Clarkson and Blackstock first met in 2006 but didn't begin dating until six years later in 2012. The following year, the pair tied the knot during a ceremony that was held at Blackberry Farms in Tennessee.
But in June 2020, the talk show host filed for divorce and cited the reason for the split as 'irreconcilable differences.' The divorce was finalized two years later.
'I think the thing about divorce — especially having it publicized, and people thinking they know the whole thing — the hardest part of that is, like, it wasn't an overnight decision,' Clarkson said on Angie Martinez's IRL podcast in 2023.
'I wanted to make it beautiful. I wanted to make it awesome. I wanted to make it everything it possibly could be, and sometimes that just doesn't happen.'
She also sued her ex-husband last year after accusing him of making unauthorized business deals on her behalf.
They settled their lawsuits over commissions in May 2024, ending a contentious legal battle that began after their divorce was finalized two years earlier.
Last week, one day before Blackstock's passing was announced, Clarkson took to Instagram to announce the postponement of the remainder of her Las Vegas residency concerts for August.
The following day, a rep for the family said in a statement: '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.'
The statement concluded with, 'We thank you for your thoughts and prayers and ask everyone to respect the family's privacy during this very difficult time.'
Before his marriage to Clarkson, Blackstock had tied the knot with his first wife Melissa Ashworth in 1999 until their divorce in 2012.
The obit released on Tuesday also revealed that the former talent manager had a 'loving partner' before his death.
He had been in a relationship with Brittney Marie Jones and the pair had been living a private life in the state of Montana.
The obit also included: 'After more than 20 years in the music business, Brandon found his way back to the mountains and the cowboy way of life he always wanted to live. He found a homestead and a love in Butte, Montana.
'Brandon, along with his beautiful and loving partner in life and business, Brittney Marie Jones, started building a life, building companies, and working tirelessly to create Headwaters Livestock Auction and what will live on as his legacy, The Valley View Rodeo in Bozeman, Montana.'
Jones had been a former assistant to Clarkson, per a prior LinkedIn profile, and was also an executive assistant to Blackstock.
Jones' father has since broken silence on Blackstock's passing and called the former talent manager and his daughter 'soulmates.'
'Yesterday we lost a good man, Brandon Blackstock, my daughter's soulmate, and I considered him my son,' her father wrote in a now private post on Facebook, per Page Six.
'My sincere condolences to Brittney Jones and family. We're sure going to miss your funny humor. R.I.P hoss!'
Other tributes have since flooded in to remember Blackstock as they mourn his loss, such as his first wife and son Seth.
Reba McEntire's son Shelby shared a heartbreaking post in honor of his late half-brother.
Blackstock was the son of Narvel Blackstock and Elisa Gayle Ritter. Narvel was later married to Reba from 1989 through 2015 — and they welcomed son Shelby together.
The race car driver penned an emotional tribute to Blackstock late last week alongside an assortment of throwback photos.
He also opened up about the 'tremendous loss our family has endured' and called Blackstock an 'irreplaceable part of our family.'
McEntire broke her silence on his passing by penning a message in the comment section of her son's post.
'Very well said Shelby. Yes we will miss him so much,' she wrote along with red and broken heart emojis.