Kelly Clarkson's ex-husband Brandon Blackstock's first wife breaks silence on his tragic death
Blackstock, who was married to Ashworth from 2001 to 2012, died on Aug. 7 after a private, years-long battle with melanoma, a severe form of skin cancer.
'On May 29, 1999 I married the man who would become the father of my children,' Ashworth wrote on Instagram over the weekend.
Her post included a collection of photos featuring Blackstock, their children — son Seth, 18, and daughter Savannah, 23 — as well as Savannah's husband, Quentin Lee.
She also shared a throwback from their wedding day, reflecting on the man she once called her husband.
'Brandon was full of charm, wit, and just an absolute gentleman who happened to wear cowboy boots, wrangler jeans, and a cowboy hat. He was by far, hands down, the best Daddy and Pa. He loved hard and he fought hard,' she wrote.
'The best thing Brandon has left for his children is they know where he is. I've heard it said, "Nothing is lost when you know where it is" and Brandon is with Jesus his Savior,' she continued.
'Savannah, Seth, and our grandchildren are the best parts of who Brandon and I are. Thank you all for your prayers and condolences.'
After their divorce, Blackstock married Clarkson, and the two went on to have daughter River, 11, and son Remington, 9.
Ashworth's message came just hours after her and Blackstock's son Seth also posted his own heartfelt tribute to his father.
He shared a series of photos with his father, ranging from his early childhood to more recent years.
In one snapshot from Seth's tribute, a toddler-aged Seth flashes a wide grin while his father smiles proudly behind him.
Another image captures a slightly older Seth alongside his sister Savannah, laughing as they play outside with their German Shepherd and their dad.
'I lost my hero yesterday, words can't describe how proud of you I am on raising me and your 3 other kids,' Seth wrote in his caption.
'You were a father, a son, a brother, and most importantly my best friend.
'You'll have to watch me grow up from a Birds Eye view now buts that's OK with me. There's no one else on this earth that I would want to be my dad because no one can be half the man you were to me,' he continued. 'I'll see you everyday when the sun rises and falls.
'I can confidently say all the deer and elk took a sigh of relief when the best hunter I've ever known laid his rifle down for the last time,' Seth concluded. 'I love you so much and can't wait to throw a line in the water with you again. Love you dad. Be good or good at it — love your son Seth.'
Blackstock, the former stepson of country superstar Reba McEntire, was married to the American Idol star from 2013–2022.
The news of Blackstock's death came hours after Clarkson revealed she was postponing the remaining dates on her Las Vegas residency in August due to her ex-husband's illness.
A representative 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.
'We thank you for your thoughts and prayers and ask everyone to respect the family's privacy during this very difficult time.'
One month before Blackstock's death, Savannah announced she was expecting her second child, a baby girl.
She wrote on Instagram: 'We've been keeping a couple sweet surprises. One little girl will be making her arrival at the beginning of January and another beautiful girl named Julianna who has already been one of the greatest blessings to our family.
'The Lord has been so faithful. He's written a story we never could've imagined, and His kindness in this season has left us in awe. He's answered prayers we never even knew how to pray. This journey has been so special full of peace, excitement, and so much grace. We're growing again, and our hearts are so full. Thank you, Jesus.'
Blackstock was last pictured in March of this year, looking frail as he joined River and Remington at the Houston Rodeo with his brother Shelby and McEntire.
Blackstock's father, film producer Narvel Blackstock, was married to McEntire from 1989–2015 and they share Shelby, 35.
In a statement shared to X on Wednesday, Clarkson revealed that it was a health-related issue with Blackstock that forced her to step away from the stage.
'Unfortunately, I need to postpone the remainder of the August Studio Session dates in Las Vegas,' she wrote.
'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.
'I am sincerely sorry to everyone who bought tickets to the shows and I so appreciate your grace, kindness and understanding,' she concluded.
Clarkson didn't include information about what would happen to fans who had already purchased tickets to her postponed residency dates.
Clarkson's relationship with Blackstock began in 2012, and the two tied the knot the following year.
They had both a romantic and professional relationship at first, as her husband also served as her manager.
Clarkson's 2015 song Piece By Piece was written in honor of Blackstock, who she said gave her security her father never did.
However, Clarkson filed for divorce in June 2020 on grounds of irreconcilable differences, and the two were subsequently engaged in years of legal wrangling related to their finances.
Their messy divorce was reported to have been finalized in March of 2022, but it wasn't until a year later that Clarkson won a $2.6 million judgment against her husband.
Clarkson had claimed her husband owed her millions in commissions that he should not have been able to collect for deals that he set up that should have been handled by a talent agent, rather than her manager, and the California Labor Commissioner ultimately agreed.
It ruled that Blackstock had overstepped by working around Clarkson's agents at Creative Artists Agency.
In May 2024, the warring exes finally reached a settlement in Clarkson's lawsuit over the commission fees.
The hitmaker had previously won the $2.6 million judgement for deals Blackstock had secured for her going back to 2017, but she had claimed he had been taking the place of her talent agents while serving as her manager going back as far as 2007, so she had requested a more thorough accounting of commissions paid to her ex-husband.
Although Clarkson and Blackstock both requested that her lawsuit be dismissed after the settlement was reached, the details of the agreement were not publicly disclosed.
Clarkson's relationship with Blackstock began in 2012, and the two tied the knot the following year. They had both a romantic and professional relationship at first, as her husband also served as her manager - pictured 2018
In 2022, the Moment Like This singer had agreed to pay her ex-husband a $1.3 million lump sum as part of their divorce settlement.
They also agreed that Clarkson would pay Blackstock $45,601 per month in child support payments.
On top of that, she had to pay Blackstock $115,000 per month for spousal support, though those payments were set to end in January of last year.
The exes agreed to share joint custody of River and Remington, but the children would primarily live in Los Angeles with their mother and would visit Blackstock at his home in Montana for one weekend per month.
At the time, he was paying Clarkson rent on the ranch that they had shared in Montana before he was scheduled to move out in June 2022.
The settlement allowed Blackstock to retain control of their farm animals, including cattle, dogs and horses, as well as multiple vehicles for use around the property, including an ATV, snowmobiles and two pickup trucks: a Ford F-350 and an F-250.
Clarkson got to keep the small family pets in the deal, as well as a baby grand piano, hunting items and all of their firearms, both from before and during their marriage.
Earlier this year, the TV star was mysteriously absent from her eponymous talk show for multiple weeks, missing 10 shows in total.
Clarkson didn't explain her absence at the time, though in May she complained on stage about the show's demanding schedule, she she said kept her from touring as much as she wanted to.
The singer previously told People she 'never wanted to get married the first time.'
'[Brandon] had children, a religious background, and it was important, I think, for him. But I've never been that person. Because I've been through a couple divorces in my family, I just don't like to put any weight on it.'
The Miss Independent hitmaker also believes that 'love is not forever'.
Kelly explained: 'I've always known that love is hard.
'For me, love has always come with this elephant in the room of sadness. I've known love is not forever. I don't mean that to sound depressing, but I think we put a lot of pressure on that word.
'Sometimes love is looking at someone and going, 'This is not good for you. This is not good for me.' That's a hard thing to face. But when you do, I think you grow.'
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